Altered expression of Alzheimer's disease-related proteins in male hypogonadal mice

Age-related depletion of estrogens and androgens is associated with an increase in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain pathology and diminished cognitive function. Here we investigated AD-associated molecular and cellular changes in brains of aged hypogonadal (hpg) male and female mice. hpg Mice have a spontaneous, inactivating genetic mutation in the GnRH gene resulting in lifelong deficiency of gonadotropins and gonadal sex hormones. Western blot analysis revealed low levels of amyloid precursor protein and high levels of presenilin 1, amyloid precursor protein C-terminal fragment, and beta-amyloid 42 in brains of aged male, but not female, hpg mice. Changes were confined to the hippocampus and were not evident in the cerebellum or other brain tissues. Male hpg mice tended to have lower levels of IL-1 beta protein than male littermate controls. Immunohistochemical staining of the basal forebrain revealed that male hpg mice had lower choline acetyltransferase levels per neuron compared with controls. These AD-like changes specific to male hpg mice supports a link between androgen depletion and the development of AD pathology

Insights into the nature of eutectic and deep eutectic mixtures

A stricter definition of a deep eutectic solvent (DES) is urgent, so that it may become a sound basis for further developments in this field. This communication aims at contributing to deepening the understanding of eutectic and deep eutectic mixtures concerning their definition, thermodynamic nature and modelling. The glut of literature on DES applications should be followed by a similar effort to address the fundamental questions on their nature. This hopefully would contribute to correct some widespread misconceptions, and help to establish a stringent definition of what a DES is. DES are eutectic mixtures for which the eutectic point temperature should be lower to that of an ideal liquid mixture. To identify and characterize them, their phase diagrams should be known, in order to compare the real temperature depression to that predicted if ideality is assumed, and to define composition ranges for which they are in the liquid state at operating temperatures. It is also shown that hydrogen bonding between the DES components should not be used to define or characterize a DES, since this would describe many ideal mixtures. The future of deep eutectic solvents is quite promising, and we expect that this work will contribute to the efficient design and selection of the best DES for a given application, and to model properties and phase equilibria without which the process design is impractical.This work was developed in the scope of the Project CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007679 (Ref. FCT UID/CTM/50011/2013) and Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 (Ref. FCT UID/EQU/50020/2013), both financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and when appropriate co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. This work is also a result of Project “AIProcMat@N2020 - Advanced Industrial Processes and Materials for a Sustainable Northern Region of Portugal 2020”, with the reference NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000006, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). FCT is also acknowledged for funding the project DeepBinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New comprehensive procedure for enhanced dataanalysis and interpretation of Real-Time Measurements: A unique feature for real time avour generation

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Process control in flavour generation : NIR-MVA as a tool to monitor key odorants formation

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Densities and speed of sound in aqueous ammonium sulfate solutions containing glycine or alanine

The main objectives of this work are the measurement of the densities and speed of sound in aqueous ammonium sulfate solutions containing glycine or alanine. The study of mixtures containing charged electric species is of great relevance for the chemical industry. In this work the new experimental information is combined with that collected from the open literature in order to contribute for an understanding of the forces that rule biologically important structures. A systematic experimental program is implemented to measure the densities and speed of sound in aqueous and in mixed aqueous solutions of ammonium sulfate, (0.1, 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, 1.3, and 2.0) mol•kg-1, containing glycine or alanine, using a digital densimeter at (278.15, 288.15, 298.15, 308.15, and 318.15) K. Density data have been used to calculate the partial molar volumes at infinite dilution which are evaluated and further used to obtain the corresponding transfer volumes for amino acids. Hydration numbers, temperature dependence, and side chain group contributions of amino acids have also been studied. The parameters obtained from the volumetric study are used to understand various mixing effects due to the interactions between amino acids and ammonium sulfate in aqueous solutions. The V(∅,tr)^0 data suggest that ion charged/hydrophilic group interactions are predominant and applying the McMillan and Mayer formalism it was concluded that they are mainly pair wise. According to Hepler (1969) all amino acids, in water and in aqueous ammonium sulfate solutions, can be considered as a structure breaking solutes. These results represent a step in building up an empirical database of different volumetric parameters of protein functional groups in ammonium sulfate and water. Os principais objectivos deste trabalho são a medição da densidade e da velocidade do som em soluções aquosas de sulfato de amónio contendo os aminoácidos glicina ou alanina. O estudo de misturas contendo espécies eléctricas carregadas é de grande relevância para a indústria química. Neste trabalho a nova informação experimental é combinada com informação recolhida na literatura de forma a contribuir para uma melhor compreensão das forças que regem estruturas biológicas importantes. Neste trabalho, foi implementado um programa experimental sistemático para medir as densidades e a velocidade do som em água e em soluções aquosas de sulfato de amónio, (0.1, 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, 1.3 e 2.0) mol•kg-1, contendo glicina ou alanina, usando um densímetro digital a (278.15, 288.15, 298.15, 308.15 e 318.15) K. Os dados da densidade foram utilizados para calcular os volumes molares parciais a diluição infinita, os quais foram avaliados e posteriormente utilizados para obter os correspondentes volumes de transferência para os aminoácidos. Os números de hidratação, a dependência com a temperatura e as contribuições de grupo da cadeia lateral dos aminoácidos foram também estudados. Os parâmetros obtidos a partir do estudo volumétrico foram utilizados para compreender vários efeitos de mistura devido às interacções entre os aminoácidos e o sulfato de amónio em soluções aquosas. Os dados de V(∅,tr)^0 sugerem que as interacções ião carregado/grupo hidrofílico são predominantes, e aplicando o formalismo de McMillan e Mayer concluiu-se que elas são maioritariamente do tipo dupleto. De acordo com Hepler (1969) ambos os aminoácidos, em água e em soluções aquosas de sulfato de amónio, podem ser considerados como solutos que provocam a rutura da solução. Estes resultados representam um passo na construção de uma base de dados empírica de parâmetros volumétricos de diferentes grupos funcionais das proteínas, em sulfato de amónio e água. Hlavním cílem této práce je měření hustot a rychlostí zvuku ve vodných roztocích síranu amonného obsahující glycin nebo alanin. Studium směsí obsahujících nabité elektrické částice je velmi významné pro chemický průmysl. V této práci jsou obsaženy nové informace podložené experimentem a údaji z odborné literatury, které mohou přispět k pochopení sil, které působí na biologicky důležité struktury. Systematický experimentální program je založen na měření hustoty a rychlosti zvuku vodných a smíšených vodných roztoků síranu amonného (0.1, 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, 1.3, a 2.0) mol•kg-1 obsahujících glycin a alanin pomocí vibrační trubice digitálního hustoměru a zvukové cely při teplotách (278.15, 288.15, 298.15, 308.15 a 318.15) K. Údaje o hustotě byly použity pro výpočet parciálních molárních objemů při nekonečném zředění, které dále slouží k získání odpovídajících přenosových objemů aminokyselin. Dále byla zkoumána hydratační čísla, teplotní závislost a skupinové příspěvky vedlejších řetězců aminokyselin. Tyto parametry získané na základě studia objemových vlastností jsou použity k pochopení různých směšovacích efektů, které jsou způsobeny interakcemi mezi aminokyselinami a síranem amonným ve vodném prostředí. Tyto údaje o V(∅,tr)^0 naznačují, že interakce nabitý ion/hydrofilní skupina mají převládající vliv, a na základě použití formalismu McMiliana a Mayera lze odvodit, že jsou převážně párové. Podle Heplera (1969) mohou být všechny aminokyseliny ve vodě a vodných roztocích síranu považovány za látky rozrušující strukturu. Tyto výsledky představují krok při budování empirické databáze různých objemových parametrů proteinových skupin v síranu amonném a vodě

O profissional de contabilidade de gestão em Portugal

As transformações e mudanças que ocorrem no mundo empresarial e nos negócios, têm um impacto directo no exercício da profissão de contabilidade. O desenvolvimento das organizações empresariais suscita discussão na sociedade sobre a função do profissional de contabilidade na gestão dos negócios e o seu papel no auxílio à resolução de problemas das empresas. Com estes desenvolvimentos o profissional de contabilidade de gestão passou a ter maior relevância tanto no meio académico, como no mercado, que procura profissionais especializados, com visão de gestão, planeamento fiscal, financeiro e de contabilidade. A classe profissional deve estar atenta às perspectivas e tendências, para que o profissional de contabilidade se torne cada vez mais relevante no apoio à tomada de decisões empresariais. Ele deverá ser visto como um comunicador de informação essencial para a tomada de decisão, com a sua capacidade de avaliar os factos passados, perceber os factos presentes e prever os eventos futuros. Pretende-se, assim, fazer um enquadramento histórico da profissão, alargando o âmbito ao profissional de contabilidade em geral, abordar a situação do profissional de contabilidade de gestão nos dias que correm, bem como enunciar os principais desafios que o profissional de contabilidade de gestão terá que atravessar

(Un)targeted analysis to unravel critical interactions between sugars and phenolics in Strecker aldehydes formation in beverages

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Spectroelectrochemical characterisation of copper salen-based polymer modified electrode

Electrogenerated polymers based on copper salen-type complexes were characterised electrochemically and by in situ UV–vis and ex situ EPR spectroscopy. The films, poly[Cu(salen)] and poly[Cu(saltMe)], exhibit reversible oxidative electrochemical behaviour in a wide potential range (0.0–1.5 V). Different regimes for charge transport behaviour are accessed by manipulation of film thickness and experimental time scale: thin films (surface concentration, Γ ca. 90 nmol cm−2) exhibit a changeover from thin-layer to diffusion control regime at a critical scan rate that depends on polymer and film thickness: 0.15–0.20 V s−1 for poly[Cu(salen)], 90 < Γ < 130 nmol cm−2 and 0.20–0.30 V s−1 for poly[Cu(saltMe)], 170 < Γ < 230 nmol cm−2. UV–vis and EPR spectroscopies have allowed the characterisation of electronic states in the reduced and oxidised forms. The role of the copper atom during film oxidation was probed by combining UV–vis data with EPR on copolymers of the copper and nickel complexes. Data from both techniques are consistent and indicate that polymerisation and redox switching are associated with ligand-based processes. EPR of Ni-doped Cu polymers provided evidence for the non-involvement of the metal centre in polymer oxidation; like the analogous nickel polymers, copper polymers behave like delocalised π-system (‘conducting’) rather than discrete site (‘redox’) polymers

Liquefying Compounds by Forming Deep Eutectic Solvents: A Case Study for Organic Acids and Alcohols

The criterion to distinguish a simple eutectic mixture from a deep eutectic solvent (DES) lies in the deviations to thermodynamic ideality presented by the components in the system. In this work, the current knowledge of the molecular interactions in types III and V DES is explored to liquefy a set of three fatty acids and three fatty alcohols, here used as model compounds for carboxyl and hydroxyl containing solid compounds. This work shows that thymol, a stronger than usual hydrogen bond donor, is able to form deep eutectic solvents of type V with the fatty alcohols studied. This is particularly interesting, since these DES formed are hydrophobic. Regarding type III DES, the results suggest that the prototypical DES hydrogen bond acceptor, cholinium chloride, is unable to induce negative deviations to ideality in the model molecules studied. By substituting choline with tetramethylammonium chloride, it is shown that the choline hydroxyl group is responsible for the difficulty in forming choline-based deep eutectic solvents and that its absence induces strong negative deviations to ideality in the alkylammonium side. Finally, it is demonstrated that tetrabutylammonium chloride acts as a chloride donning agent, causing significant negative deviations to ideality in both fatty acids and alcohols and leading to the formation of deep eutectic solvents of type III.This work was developed within the scope of the projects CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 and UIDP/50011/2020, financed by national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology/MCTES, and CIMO-Mountain Research Center, UIDB/00690/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and when appropriate cofinanced by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. L.P.S. acknowledges FCT for her PhD grant SFRH/BD/135976/2018.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Solid-liquid equilibria for hexafluorophosphate-based ionic liquid quaternary mixtures and their corresponding subsystems

The present work describes an experimental study and the thermodynamic modeling for the solid−liquid phase diagram of an ionic liquid quaternary system constituted by hexafluorophosphate ([PF6]−) as the common anion and by 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium ([C3mim]+), 1-methyl-1-propylpyrrolidinium ([C3mpyrr]+), 1-methyl-3-propylpyridinium ([C3mpy]+), or 1-methyl- 1-propylpiperidinium ([C3mpip]+) as the cations. The Modified Quasichemical Model was used to model the liquid solution, and the Compound Energy Formalism was used for the relevant solid solutions. The liquidus projections of the four ternary subsystems (1) [C3mim][PF6]−[C3mpip][PF6]−[C3mpyrr]- [PF6], (2) [C3mpy][PF6]−[C3mpip][PF6]−[C3mpyrr][PF6], (3) [C3mpip]- [PF6]−[C3mpy][PF6]−[C3mim][PF6], and (4) [C3mpyrr][PF6]−[C3mpy]- [PF6]−[C3mim][PF6] were predicted using a standard symmetric (for systems 3 and 4) or asymmetric (for systems 1 and 2) interpolation method. In order to test the accuracy of the thermodynamic model, two isoplethal sections were experimentally measured in each of the four ternary systems using differential scanning calorimetry. Overall, agreement was very satisfactory, not requiring fitting of any ternary interaction parameters for the liquid solution model. In each of the four calculated ternary liquidus projections, the region of composition corresponding to room temperature ionic liquid mixtures was determined. The global minimum of the liquidus temperature in the complete composition space was calculated to be about −16 °C, with a mole percentage composition of (33.8% [C3mpyrr][PF6] + 33.9% [C3mpy][PF6] + 32.3% [C3mim][PF6]).The modeling part of this project was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Discovery Grant RGPIN 435893-2013). The new DSC measurements in the four ternary subsystems were supported by the laboratories CICECOAveiro Institute of Materials, project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007679 (ref FCT UID/CTM/ 50011/2019), and Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM (ref FCT UID/EQU/50020/2019), both financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and when appropriate cofinanced by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement, and the project “AIProcMat@N2020Advanced Industrial Processes and Materials for a Sustainable Northern Region of Portugal 2020” (ref NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000006) supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Constructive discussions with Dr. Aım̈ en Gheribi, Prof. Youn- Bae Kang, and Prof. Nick Virgilio were much appreciated.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio