Characterization, antibacterial and biological activities of phenolic fraction of argentinean red wines

For the first time, the qualitative and quantitative characterization of phenolic compounds of lower molecular weight fraction (LMF) were evaluated in commercial Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) and Tannat (T) wines varieties produced in Cafayate, Argentine. The antimicrobial activity against Pediococcus pentosaceus 12p, spoilage wine bacteria as well as the “in vitro” antioxidant and antihypertensive activities were also evaluated. The composition of LMF obtained by liquidliquid extraction with ethyl acetate, determined by HPLC-DAD, showed a total content of phenolic compounds of 229.4 and 311.1 mg L-1 for CS and T wines respectively. Synthetic like-wine media (SWM), pH 4.5 supplemented with LMF at identical concentration of the wine (1X), four (4X) and eight times concentrated (8X), was inoculated with P. pentosaceus 12p at 107CFU mL-1. Samples were collected at the beginning and final incubation time to determine cell viability in MRS-agar medium and the damage of the cell membrane integrity by electron microscopy observation. In the presence of LMF at 1X concentration, both fractions diminish growth parameters without cellular damage. In the presence of LMF of CS and T wine varieties four and eight times concentrated, cellular death of the microorganism as well as plasmatic membrane disruption was observed. The LMF of both wines analyzed in this study have high antioxidant, radical scavenging and antihypertensive activity. The use of phenolic compounds as potential antimicrobial agents could be an effective additive to controll wine spoilage bacteria, adding on wines beneficial properties to human health.Fil: Stivala, Maria Gilda. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Villecco, Margarita B.. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Fanzone, Martín. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro Reg.cuyo Mendoza-san Juan. Estacion Exptal.agrop.mendoza. Laboratorio de Aromas y Sustancias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Jofré, Viviana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro Reg.cuyo Mendoza-san Juan. Estacion Exptal.agrop.mendoza. Laboratorio de Aromas y Sustancias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez Vaquero, Maria Jose. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Aredes Fernández, Pedro Adrián. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Il-15 enhances the persistence and function of bcma-targeting car-t cells compared to il-2 or il-15/il-7 by limiting car-t cell dysfunction and differentiation

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of B-lymphoid malignancies. For multiple myeloma (MM), B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted CAR-T cells have achieved outstanding complete response rates, but unfortunately, patients often relapse within a year of receiving the therapy. Increased persistence and reduced dysfunction are crucial features that enhance the durability of CAR-T cell responses. One of the factors that influence CAR-T cell in vivo longevity and loss of function, but which has not yet been extensively studied for BCMA-directed CAR-T cells, are the cytokines used during their production. We here compared the impact of IL-2, IL-15 and a combination of IL-15/IL-7 on the phenotype and function of ARI2h, an academic BCMA-directed CAR-T cell that is currently being administered to MM patients. For this study, flow cytometry, in vitro cytotoxicity assays and analysis of cytokine release were performed. In addition, ARI2h cells expanded with IL-2, IL-15, or IL-15/IL-7 were injected into MM tumor-bearing mice to assess their in vivo efficacy. We demonstrated that each of the cytokine conditions was suitable for the expansion of ARI2h cells, with clear in vitro activity. Strikingly, however, IL-15-produced ARI2h cells had improved in vivo efficacy and persistence. When explored further, it was found that IL-15 drove a less-differentiated ARI2h phenotype, ameliorated parameters related to CAR-T cell dysfunction, and lowered the release of cytokines potentially involved in cytokine release syndrome and MM progression. Moreover, we observed that IL-15 was less potent in inducing T cell senescence and DNA damage accumulation, both of which may contribute to an unfavorable CAR-T cell phenotype. These findings show the superiority of IL-15 to IL-2 and IL-15/IL-7 in the quality of anti-BCMA CAR-T cells, particularly their efficacy and persistence, and as such, could improve the duration of responses if applied to the clinical production of CAR-T cells for patients

Frailty is associated with objectively assessed sedentary behaviour patterns in older adults: Evidence from the Toledo Study for Healthy Aging (TSHA)

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association of sedentary behaviour patterns with frailty in older people. Setting: Clinical setting. Design: Cross-sectional, observational study. Participants and measurements: A triaxial accelerometer was used in a subsample from the Toledo Study for Healthy Aging (519 participants, 67–97 years) to assess several sedentary behaviour patterns including sedentary time per day, the number and duration (min) of breaks in sedentary time per day, and the proportion of the day spent in sedentary bouts of 10 minutes or more. Frailty was assessed using the Frailty Trait Scale (FTS). Regression analysis was used to ascertain the associations between sedentary behaviour patterns and frailty. Results: Sedentary time per day and the proportion of the day spent in sedentary bouts of 10 minutes or more, were positively associated with frailty in the study sample. Conversely, the time spent in breaks in sedentary time was negatively associated with frailty. Conclusion: In summary, breaking up sedentary time and time spent in sedentary behaviour are associated with frailty in older people

Investigating the experience of Moodle adoption through expert voices

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) such as Moodle are now widely used in universities and other organisations. One crucial factor in the successful employment of such platforms is the ability and commitment of teaching staff to adopt the system. Despite the importance of this role, there has been little work to examine the experience of using VLEs in practice. This paper presents initial, qualitative research aimed at understanding how Moodle is being used and the different experiences and perspectives of the staff involved. To generate themes and areas of interest for future investigation this paper uses interview data from two “expert witnesses” who have a deep understanding of how the platform is used. Emergent themes include: divergence between confident and basic users; the spread of usage within an academic community; lack of progression to innovative teaching methods

A possible architecture of the planetary system HR 8799

HR8799 is a nearby A-type star with a debris disk and three planetary candidates recently imaged directly. We undertake a coherent analysis of various portions of observational data on all known components of the system. The goal is to elucidate the architecture and evolutionary status of the system. We try to further constrain the age and orientation of the system, orbits and masses of the companions, as well as the location of dust. From the high luminosity of debris dust and dynamical constraints, we argue for a rather young system's age of <50Myr. The system must be seen nearly, but not exactly, pole-on. Our analysis of the stellar rotational velocity yields an inclination of 13-30deg, whereas i>20deg is needed for the system to be dynamically stable, which suggests a probable inclination range of 20-30deg. The spectral energy distribution is naturally reproduced with two dust rings associated with two planetesimal belts. The inner "asteroid belt" is located at ~10AU inside the orbit of the innermost companion and a "Kuiper belt" at >100AU is just exterior to the orbit of the outermost companion. The dust masses in the inner and outer ring are estimated to be ~1E-05 and 4E-02 M_earth, respectively. We show that all three planetary candidates may be stable in the mass range suggested in the discovery paper by Marois et al. 2008 (between 5 and 13 Jupiter masses), but only for some of all possible orientations. Stable orbits imply a double (4:2:1) mean-motion resonance between all three companions. We finally show that in the cases where the companions themselves are orbitally stable, the dust-producing planetesimal belts are also stable against planetary perturbations.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables, accepted to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics (May 20, 2009

Microstructure, magnetic and mechanical properties of Ni-Zn ferrites prepared by Powder Injection Moulding

Nowadays, the electronic industry demands small and complex parts as a consequence of the miniaturization of electronic devices. Powder injection moulding (PIM) is an emerging technique for the manufacturing of magnetic ceramics. In this paper, we analyze the sintering process, between 900 °C and 1300 °C, of Ni–Zn ferrites prepared by PIM. In particular, the densification behaviour, microstructure and mechanical properties of samples with toroidal and bar geometry were analyzed at different temperatures. Additionally, the magnetic behaviour (complex permeability and magnetic losses factor) of these compacts was compared with that of samples prepared by conventional powder compaction. Finally, the mechanical behaviour (elastic modulus, flexure strength and fracture toughness) was analyzed as a function of the powder loading of feedstock. The final microstructure of prepared samples was correlated with the macroscopic behaviour. A good agreement was established between the densities and population of defects found in the materials depending on the sintering conditions. In general, the final mechanical and magnetic properties of PIM samples were enhanced relative those obtained by uniaxial compaction

Dense gas in nearby galaxies XVI. The nuclear starburst environment in NGC4945

A multi-line millimeter-wave study of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 4945 has been carried out using the Swedish-ESO Submillimeter Telescope (SEST). The study covers the frequency range from 82 GHz to 354 GHz and includes 80 transitions of 19 molecules. 1.3 mm continuum data of the nuclear source are also presented. A large number of molecular species indicate the presence of a prominent high density interstellar gas component characterized by $n_{\rm H_2}\sim10^5$ cm$^{-3}$. Abundances of molecular species are calculated and compared with abundances observed toward the starburst galaxies NGC 253 and M 82 and galactic sources. Apparent is an `overabundance' of HNC in the nuclear environment of NGC 4945. While the HNC/HCN $J$=1--0 line intensity ratio is $\sim$0.5, the HNC/HCN abundance ratio is $\sim$1. While HCN is subthermally excited ($T_{\rm ex}\sim$8 K), CN is even less excited ($T_{\rm ex}\sim$3--4 K), indicating that it arises from a less dense gas component and that its $N$=2--1 line can be optically thin even though its $N$=1--0 emission is moderately optically thick. Overall, fractional abundances of NGC 4945 suggest that the starburst has reached a stage of evolution that is intermediate between those observed in NGC 253 and M 82. Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur isotope ratios are also determined. Within the limits of uncertainty, carbon and oxygen isotope ratios appear to be the same in the nuclear regions of NGC 4945 and NGC 253. High $^{18}$O/$^{17}$O, low $^{16}$O/$^{18}$O and $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N and perhaps also low $^{32}$S/$^{34}$S ratios appear to be characteristic properties of a starburst environment in which massive stars have had sufficient time to affect the isotopic composition of the surrounding interstellar medium.Comment: 26 pages, 16 figures, accepted bt A&

Fault Diagnosis in Induction Motors using the Hilbert-Huang Transform

[EN] The work carried out by the authors consists of applying a modern time-frequency decomposition (TFD) tool, the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT), to the diagnosis and the evaluation of electromechanical faults in induction machines. These machines are widely spread nowadays, being involved in many industrial processes as well as in power generation installations such as nuclear plants. The core of the proposed methodology is the analysis of the current demanded by the stator winding of the machine during its connection process known as startup transient. Once the current is analyzed, characteristic patterns caused by the evolution of certain components created by the corresponding faults are identified; this evolution is due to the dependence of these fault-related components on the slip s, a quantity varying during a direct startup transient from 1 to near 0. In the present paper, the HHT is applied to the diagnosis of two different faults: rotor bar breakages and mixed eccentricities. In comparison with other TFD tools, the HHT provides certain advantages that are discussed in the work. The validity of the approach is proven through several experimental tests on real machines with different sizes and characteristics. The results show the potential of the methodology for reliable fault diagnosis and for correct discrimination between the different electromechanical failures.Antonino Daviu, J.; Riera-Guasp, M.; Pineda Sánchez, M.; Puche Panadero, R.; Pérez, RB.; Jover-Rodriguez, P.; Arkkio, A. (2011). Fault Diagnosis in Induction Motors using the Hilbert-Huang Transform. Nuclear Technology. 173(1):26-34. doi:10.13182/NT11-A11481S2634173