Ethanol fermentation- and ethylene physiology-related gene expression profiles in Red Delicious apples stored under variable hypoxic conditions and protocols

Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (DCA) is beneficial in maintaining specific quality parameters but, due to the extreme oxygen levels applied, can cause adverse effects on the fruit by inducing excessive anaerobic metabolism and the production of off­flavors. The metabolic adaptation and responses of apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) cv. Red Delicious to static or dynamic oxygen concentrations (0.3 and 0.8%, with sequential shifts) during cold storage for 7 months were studied by monitoring quality parameters and the expression of genes involved in sugar, fermentative metabolism, and ethylene physiology. Ethanol content reached the highest levels (around 400 mg/kg FW) under 0.3% oxygen concentration and fruit firmness appeared to be reduced in samples accumulating the highest levels of ethanol. The oxygen switch was effective in reducing the ethanol concentrations with timing­dependent variable effects. The expression of fermentative (alcohol dehydrogenase, lactate dehydroge‐nase, pyruvate decarboxylase) and sugar metabolism (β‐amylase; phosphofruc‐tokinase; sucrose synthase) genes resulted to be differently affected by the hypoxic conditions imposed, in particular during the early stages of storage. Sucrose synthase expression appeared to be highly sensitive to changes in low oxygen concentration. Ethylene biosynthesis (ACC synthase and oxidase) genes showed marked differences in their expression in relation to the static and dynamic protocols and the hypoxic conditions, as well as six Ethylene Responsive Factors (ERF) genes, some of them possibly involved in the oxygen sensing mechanism operating in fruit tissues

Multiple filamentation of non-uniformly focused ultrashort laser pulses

We propose the impingement of non-uniform wavefront curvature as a simple way to improve the longitudinal homogeneity of the plasma density along filaments generated by ultrashort laser pulses. We characterize multiple filamentation of a multiterawatt beam with different wavefront curvatures applied to specific regions in the transverse beam profile. In adequate conditions, the filamenting region is more homogeneously ionized, in the longitudinal direction, than in the case of uniform focusing. Moreover, the ionization maximum is located between the middle and the two thirds of the filaments in all investigated chirps and focus configuration

Estabilidad de patatas chips fritas en aceites vegetales de distinto grado de insaturación. Efecto del palmitato de ascorbilo durante el almacenamiento

Four vegetable oils with different polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio (P/S): 5.2 for sunflower oil, 3.,4 for canola rapeseed oil, 0.4 for a blend of palm oleic and canola rapeseed oil (80:20), and 0.3 for palm olein were assayed for stability of crisps fried in these oils during storage at 60º C. The action of ascorbyl palmitate with special attention to its synergistic effect on the natural antioxidants was also tested. by addition to the fried potatoes. The evolution of the oxidative stability was measured through peroxide value, quantitation of tocopherols and tocotrienols, and induction time (IT) by means of Rancimat. Oil degradation during frying was very low as both polar compound percentages and natural antioxidant had similar levels to those present in refined oils. Evolution of analytical parameters during storage results indicated that oil unsaturation degree or P/S had a much more importance on stability of the product than had the content and type of natural antioxidants and the addition of AP. Nevertheless, addition of AP to the fried potatoes had a significant effect resulting in higher retention of natural antioxidants, higher IT and lower PV at any storage timeSe estudia la evolución de la oxidación a 60º C en patatas fritas con cuatro aceites vegetales de distinta relación ácidos grasos poliinsaturados/saturados (P/S): 5,4 para el aceite de girasol, 3,4 para el aceite de canola, 0,4 para una mezcla de oleína de palma (80 %) y aceite de canola (20 %) y 0,3 para la oleína de palma. Se estudia igualmente la influencia de la adición de palmitato de ascorbilo (AP) durante la conservación del producto frito con especial atención a su efecto sinergista sobre los antioxidantes naturales. La evolución de la oxidación en lotes de patatas, con y sin adición de AP, se determinó mediante las siguientes determinaciones analíticas: índice de peróxidos (PV), cuantificación de tocoferoles y tocotrienoles, y periodos de inducción (IT) en Rancimat. La degradación de los aceites durante el proceso de fritura fue muy baja puesto que los niveles de compuestos polares y de antioxidantes naturales fueron similares a los encontrados en aceites refinados. La evolución de los índices analíticos durante el almacenamiento mostraron la importancia primordial del grado de insaturación del aceite por encima de la cantidad y tipo de antioxidantes y de la adición de AP. Sin embargo, la adición de AP a las patatas fritas tuvo un claro efecto sinergista traducido en menores PV y mayores cantidades de antioxidantes naturales e IT para cualquier tiempo de almacenamiento

Cardiomiopatia hipertrófica apical (síndrome de Yamaguchi) em paciente assintomático, não asiático, diagnósticado por ressonância magnética, um relato de caso / Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (Yamaguchi syndrome) in an aymptomatic, non-asian patient, magnetic resonance diagnosis, a case report

A cardiomiopatia hipertrófica apical ou Síndrome de Yamaguchi é caracterizada pela presença de ondas T gigantes invertidas e sinais que sugerem hipertrofia ventricular esquerda no Eletrocardiograma.  Tem um curso genético e sua apresentação clínica vai desde casos assintomáticos, quanto casos com presença de sintomas característicos de uma insuficiência cardíaca congestiva. O presente relato visa corroborar ao entendimento de uma apresentação assintomática da síndrome e a relevância do exame de ressonância magnética no diagnóstico de um quadro sem aspectos clínicos sugestivos. 

Disruption of visual short-term memory by changing-state auditory stimuli: The role of segmentation

Typically, serial recall performance can be disrupted by the presence of an irrelevant stream of background auditory stimulation, but only if the background stream changes over time (the auditory changing-state effect). It was hypothesized that segmentation of the auditory stream is necessary for changing state to be signified. In Experiment 1, continuous random pitch glides failed to disrupt serial recall, but glides interrupted regularly by silence brought about the usual auditory changing-state effect. In Experiment 2, a physically continuous stream of synthesized vowel sounds was found to have disruptive effects. In Experiment 3, the technique of auditory induction showed that preattentive organization rather than critical features of the sound could account for the disruption by glides. With pitch glides, silence plays a preeminent role in the temporal segmentation of the sound stream, but speech contains corr-elated-time-varying changes in frequency and amplitude that make silent intervals superfluous

Is the superior verbal memory span of Mandarin speakers due to faster rehearsal?

It is well established that digit span in native Chinese speakers is atypically high. This is commonly attributed to a capacity for more rapid subvocal rehearsal for that group. We explored this hypothesis by testing a group of English-speaking native Mandarin speakers on digit span and word span in both Mandarin and English, together with a measure of speed of articulation for each. When compared to the performance of native English speakers, the Mandarin group proved to be superior on both digit and word spans while predictably having lower spans in English. This suggests that the Mandarin advantage is not limited to digits. Speed of rehearsal correlated with span performance across materials. However, this correlation was more pronounced for English speakers than for any of the Chinese measures. Further analysis suggested that speed of rehearsal did not provide an adequate account of differences between Mandarin and English spans or for the advantage of digits over words. Possible alternative explanations are discussed

Sex dependency of inhibitory control functions

BACKGROUND: Inhibition of irrelevant responses is an important aspect of cognitive control of a goal-directed behavior. Females and males show different levels of susceptibility to neuropsychological disorders such as impulsive behavior and addiction, which might be related to differences in inhibitory brain functions. METHODS: We examined the effects of ‘practice to inhibit’, as a model of rehabilitation approach, and ‘music’, as a salient contextual factor in influencing cognition, on the ability of females and males to perform a stop-signal task that required inhibition of initiated or planned responses. In go trials, the participants had to rapidly respond to a directional go cue within a limited time window. In stop trials, which were presented less frequently, a stop signal appeared immediately after the go-direction cue and the participants had to stop their responses. RESULTS: We found a significant difference between females and males in benefiting from practice in the stop-signal task: the percentage of correct responses in the go trials increased, and the ability to inhibit responses significantly improved, after practice in females. While listening to music, females became faster but males became slower in responding to the go trials. Both females and males became slower in performing the go trials following an error in the stop trials; however, music significantly affected this post-error slowing depending on the sex. Listening to music decreased post-error slowing in females but had an opposite effect in males. CONCLUSIONC: Here, we show a significant difference in executive control functions and their modulation by contextual factors between females and males that might have implications for the differences in their propensity for particular neuropsychological disorders and related rehabilitation approaches

Gender differences in the use of cardiovascular interventions in HIV-positive persons; the D:A:D Study

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