Potential application of pomegranate seed oil oleogels based on monoglycerides, beeswax and propolis wax as partial substitutes of palm oil in functional chocolate spread

In this research, the effectiveness of pomegranate seed oil oleogel as a partial replacement of fat phase in chocolate spread was studied. Monoglyceride (MG), beeswax (BW) and propolis wax (PW) have been used as structuring agents at 5 g/100 g concentration to gel pomegranate seed oil. The oleogels were then combined with palm oil at 1:1 ratio. Different techniques, including polarized light microscopy, synchrotron XRD, mechanical analyses, and oil binding capacity were used to study the physical and mechanical properties of the palm oil-oleogel systems and chocolate spreads. Results highlighted that MG, BW and PW chemical nature led to the formation of different crystalline network in palm oil-oleogel systems. Chocolate spreads containing palm oil-oleogels showed an increase in the mechanical parameters in the order of PW < BW < MG. This trend might be attributed to the chemical composition of oleogelators and physical bonds formed in the samples. During storage, crystal transformation in MG and structural reorganization in waxes (PW and BW) samples showed a gradual decrease and increase in hardness, respectively. These findings could provide useful information in the application of pomegranate seed oil oleogel for novel confectionery products engineering

A user experience analysis for a mobile Mixed Reality application for cultural heritage

Mixed Reality has emerged as a valuable tool for the promotion of cultural heritage. In this context, in particular, the metaphor of virtual portals allows the virtual visit of monuments that are inaccessible or no longer exist in their original form, integrating them into the real environment. This paper presents the development of a Mixed Reality mobile application that proposes a virtual reconstruction of the church of Sant’Elia in Ruggiano, in the southern province of Lecce (Italy). By placing the virtual portal in the same place where the entrance of the church was located, the user can cross this threshold to enter inside and make a virtual journey into the past. The user experience was evaluated by administering a questionnaire to 60 users who tried the application. From the data collected, four user experience factors were identified (interest, focus of attention, presence and usability), which were compared between young and old, male and female users, and between users who had already visited the church in person and all other users. In general, the scores reveal a total independence of the other three factors from usability and a very high level of interest

Monitoring induced denitrification during managed aquifer recharge in an infiltration pond

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is a well-known technique for improving water quality and increasing groundwater resources. Denitrification (i.e. removal of nitrate) can be enhanced during MAR by coupling an artificial recharge pond with a permeable reactive layer (PRL). In this study, we examined the suitability of a multi-isotope approach for assessing the long-term effectiveness of enhancing denitrification in a PRL containing vegetal compost. Batch laboratory experiments confirmed that the PRL was still able to enhance denitrification two years after its installation in the infiltration pond. At the field scale, changes in redox indicators along a flow path and below the MAR-PRL system were monitored over 21¿months during recharge and non-recharge periods. Results showed that the PRL was still releasing non-purgeable dissolved organic carbon five years after its installation. Nitrate concentration coupled with isotopic data collected from the piezometer network at the MAR system indicated that denitrification was occurring in the saturated zone immediately beneath the infiltration pond, where recharged water and native groundwater mix. Furthermore, longer operational periods of the MAR-PRL system increased denitrification extent. Multi-isotope analyses are therefore proved to be useful tools in identifying and quantifying denitrification in MAR-PRL systems.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

β-Carotene degradation kinetics as affected by fat crystal network and solid/liquid ratio

The aim of this research was to study beta-carotene degradation kinetics into lipid systems containing different fat crystal networks in the presence of increasing liquid oil amounts. To this purpose, fat blends containing liquid saturated medium chain triacylglycerols (MCT) with increasing content of saturated monoglycerides (MG), tripalmitin (PPP) and tristearin (SSS) were added with 0.6 mg/g beta-carotene. The fat crystal networks formed in the fat blends were characterized by using polarized light microscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD). In addition, A-carotene degradation was monitored during storage in the dark at 20 degrees C. Results highlighted that fat crystallization could differently affect beta-carotene stability. In bulk SSS and PPP, beta-carotene degradation proceeded at comparable rate, whereas when the saturated liquid oil MCT is included in the fat network, the rate of oxidation slightly decreased. Interestingly, the oxidation rate was not significantly affected by the solid/liquid ratio of the systems. A completely different behavior was observed in MG containing systems: the rate of beta-carotene oxidation was in every case significantly lower than that observed in SSS and PPP containing samples. Also in this case, the MG protective effect was independent on its content in the fat mixtures.Peer reviewe

CRIPTOMOEDAS: PERSPECTIVA DOS INVESTIDORES SOBRE ESTE NOVO MERCADO DE INVESTIMENTOS

O conceito de moeda sempre esteve presente durante a evolução da humanidade, fomentando as aferições de lucro dos indivíduos e das organizações, tendo como objetivo aumentar seu poder de compra criando reserva de valor. Através da tecnologia de blockchain, em 2008, criada por Satoshi Nakamoto, surgiu o Bitcoin, que é tida hoje, como a criptomoeda mais conhecida e comercializada pelas corretoras de criptoativos do mundo. Hoje, as criptomoedas são majoritariamente utilizadas como ativos financeiros, visto que, como vem agregando cada vez mais valor conforme sua popularidade aumenta, se tornou interessante aos investidores olharem com mais atenção a este segmento de alto risco, dado a sua alta chance de rentabilidade, inclusive aos investidores de São Marcos, Rio Grande do Sul. Neste trabalho foi aplicado um questionário aos investidores São Marquenses de criptomoedas a fim de identificar quais são as suas percepções sobre este mercado, procurando saber se os mesmos conhecem os altos riscos envolvidos neste investimento e como os mesmos operam estes criptoativos. Com a aplicação deste questionário foi possível definir um perfil dos investidores São Marquenses de criptomoedas demonstrando suas percepções quanto ao conhecimento, risco, como lidam com a tributação e sua visão de futuro em relação as criptomoedas

The neuronal ischemic tolerance is conditioned by the Tp53 Arg72Pro polymorphism

Cerebral preconditioning (PC) confers endogenous brain protection after stroke. Ischemic stroke patients with a prior transient ischemic attack (TIA) may potentially be in a preconditioned state. Although PC has been associated with the activation of prosurvival signals, the mechanism by which preconditioning confers neuroprotection is not yet fully clarified. Recently, we have described that PC-mediated neuroprotection against ischemic insult is promoted by p53 destabilization, which is mediated by its main regulatorMDM2. Moreover, we have previously described that the human Tp53 Arg72Pro single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) controls susceptibility to ischemia-induced neuronal apoptosis and governs the functional outcome of patients after stroke. Here, we studied the contribution of the human Tp53 Arg72Pro SNP on PC-induced neuroprotection after ischemia. Our results showed that cortical neurons expressing the Pro72-p53 variant exhibited higher PC-mediated neuroprotection as compared with Arg72-p53 neurons. PC prevented ischemia-induced nuclear and cytosolic p53 stabilization in Pro72-p53 neurons. However, PC failed to prevent mitochondrial p53 stabilization, which occurs in Arg72-p53 neurons after ischemia. Furthermore, PC promoted neuroprotection against ischemia by controlling the p53/active caspase-3 pathway in Pro72-p53, but not in Arg72-p53 neurons. Finally, we found that good prognosis associated to TIA within 1 month prior to ischemic stroke was restricted to patients harboring the Pro72 allele. Our findings demonstrate that the Tp53 Arg72Pro SNP controls PC-promoted neuroprotection against a subsequent ischemic insult bymodulatingmitochondrial p53 stabilization and then modulates TIA-induced ischemic tolerance.This work was funded by The Instituto de Salud Carlos III grants CP14/00010 (M.D.-E.); PI15/00473 and RD12/0014/ 0007 (A.A.); CM14/00096 (ME.R.-A.); RD16/0019/0018 (C.R.); and Junta de Castilla y Leon grant BIO/SA35/15 (M.D.-E.), and the European Regional Development Fund (R.V.) was funded by the FPU program (Ministerio de Educación)

Osteoinduction by foamed and 3D-printed calcium phosphate scaffolds: effect of nanostructure and pore architecture

Some biomaterials are osteoinductive, that is, they are able to trigger the osteogenic process by inducing the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells to the osteogenic lineage. Although the underlying mechanism is still unclear, microporosity and specific surface area (SSA) have been identified as critical factors in material-associated osteoinduction. However, only sintered ceramics, which have a limited range of porosities and SSA, have been analyzed so far. In this work, we were able to extend these ranges to the nanoscale, through the foaming and 3D-printing of biomimetic calcium phosphates, thereby obtaining scaffolds with controlled micro- and nanoporosity and with tailored macropore architectures. Calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA) scaffolds were evaluated after 6 and 12 weeks in an ectopic-implantation canine model and compared with two sintered ceramics, biphasic calcium phosphate and ß-tricalcium phosphate. Only foams with spherical, concave macropores and not 3D-printed scaffolds with convex, prismatic macropores induced significant ectopic bone formation. Among them, biomimetic nanostructured CDHA produced the highest incidence of ectopic bone and accelerated bone formation when compared with conventional microstructured sintered calcium phosphates with the same macropore architecture. Moreover, they exhibited different bone formation patterns; in CDHA foams, the new ectopic bone progressively replaced the scaffold, whereas in sintered biphasic calcium phosphate scaffolds, bone was deposited on the surface of the material, progressively filling the pore space. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the high reactivity of nanostructured biomimetic CDHA combined with a spherical, concave macroporosity allows the pushing of the osteoinduction potential beyond the limits of microstructured calcium phosphate ceramics.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

PLANO DE BENEFÍCIOS SOCIAIS COMO FATOR DE MOTIVAÇÃO: ESTUDO DE CASO NUMA EMPRESA DO RAMO MOVELEIRO

O presente artigo trata-se de um estudo numa empresa de móveis de São Marcos RS e tem como finalidade mostrar o quanto os benefícios sociais influenciam diretamente na motivação dos empregados. Esses benefícios oferecidos pela empresa têm como objetivo manter a equipe de trabalho motivada para atingir as metas e aumentar a rentabilidade da organização. Para a pesquisa utilizou-se as abordagens   qualitativa e quantitativa. A técnica de coleta de dados se deu a partir da pesquisa bibliográfica e seguiu por meio da utilização da aplicação de questionário com perguntas fechadas. A amostra da pesquisa ficou estabelecida em 100 colaboradores e o resultado do estudo mostrou que a organização está atenta em suprir as necessidades de seus colaboradores em todas as áreas de suas vidas, com objetivo de mantê-los entusiasmados e motivados, para que busquem o crescimento em suas atividades. Pôde-se perceber pelos resultados apontados na pesquisa, que alguns benefícios são muitos importantes para os funcionários, e outros podem ser implementados para que melhore mais ainda a satisfação dos colaboradores

A distinct epigenetic program underlies the 1;7 translocation in myelodysplastic syndromes

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Comer en tiempos de confinamiento : gestión de la alimentación, disciplina y placer

Observatorio de la Alimentación/ Departament d'Antropologia Social (Universitat de Barcelona)El análisis de los fenómenos alimentarios en una sociedad en un periodo determinado aporta evidencias sobre su funcionamiento y sus relaciones sociales. Este estudio analiza la experiencia del confinamiento provocado por el estado de alarma en España a través de las prácticas y representaciones alimentarias de mujeres adultas, residentes en zonas urbanas de Cataluña. Los análisis muestran la importancia de la alimentación en la cotidianidad del confinamiento, que fue experimentado bajo discursos y normas distintos (de organización social, de salud, de cuerpo, de género), que provocaron prácticas dicotómicas y dinámicas que se (re)configuraron a lo largo de la pandemia.The analysis of food phenomena in a society at any given period provides evidence of its functioning and its social relations. This study aims to analyze the confinement experience caused by the state of alarm in Spain through food practices and representations of adult women, residents of urban areas of Catalonia. The analysis shows the social importance of food in the daily life experience during this period that has been experienced under different discourses and norms (of social organization, health, body, gender) that provoked dichotomous and dynamic practices that were (re)configured throughout the pandemic