•Our electronic panel discriminates wines with different polyphenolic and oxygen content.•The signals of the e-panel correlate well with oxygen level, polyphenols and colour values.•The combined use ...of an e-nose and an e-tongue improves the quality of the predictions.
An electronic panel formed by an electronic nose and an electronic tongue has been used to analyse red wines showing high and low phenolic contents, obtained by flash release and traditional soaking, respectively, and processed with or without micro-oxygenation. Four oxygen transfer rate conditions (0.8, 1.9, 8.0, and 11.9μloxygen/bottle/day) were ensured by using synthetic closures with controlled oxygen permeability and storage under controlled atmosphere. Twenty-five chemical parameters associated with the polyphenolic composition, the colour indices and the levels of oxygen were measured in triplicate and correlated with the signals registered (seven replicas) by means of the electronic nose and the electronic tongue using partial least squares regression analysis.
The electronic nose and the electronic tongue showed particularly good correlations with those parameters associated with the oxygen levels and, in particular, with the influence of the porosity of the closure to oxygen exposure. In turn, the electronic tongue was particularly sensitive to redox species including oxygen and phenolic compounds. It has been demonstrated that a combined system formed from the electronic nose and the electronic tongue provides information about the chemical composition of both the gas and the liquid phase of red wines. This complementary information improves the capacity to predict values of oxygen-related parameters, phenolic content and colour parameters.
An electronic panel has been used to characterise the organoleptic characteristics of twenty-five extra virgin olive oils from varieties Hojiblanca, Picual and Arbequina, with different degree of ...bitterness. The method consists in the combination of three systems: electronic nose, electronic tongue and electronic eye. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA), where PC1, PC2 and PC3 explained 59% of the total variance between the samples, has demonstrated that the capability of discrimination of the combined system is superior to that obtained with the three instruments separately. This improvement is due to the increased information extracted from each sample. Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) has allowed separation of the groups in function of olive variety with a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) lower than 0.099.
Using PLS1 and PLS2 regression models, good correlations have been found between the signals obtained from the electronic tongue and the polyphenolic content (measured by chromatographic methods) or the bitterness index (scored by a panel of experts) with correlation coefficients higher than 0.9 in calibration and validation.
These preliminary results indicate that the combination of an e-nose, an e-tongue and an e-eye can be a useful tool for the analysis of olive oil bitterness.
A wind-tunnel experiment was carried out to measure saltation and PM10 (particulate matter with a mean aerodynamic diameter less than 10
μ
m) emission during three successive wind-erosion events on ...three different surfaces: an unpaved road and two different textured agricultural soils: a sandy loam and a loamy sand. The total horizontal mass transport (
Q
) and the PM10 emissions (
E
), were measured at two friction velocities: 0.2 and 0.3 m
s
-
1
. Results indicated that
Q
decreased rapidly in time over all surfaces, as the
Q
values were only 13–17 % of the amount registered during the first event. Similar trends were detected at both wind speeds. However,
E
values showed a lower relative decrease in the second wind-erosion event at the lower wind speed (25–51 % of the initial amounts) than at the higher wind speed (19–28 % of the initial amounts) over all surfaces. After the second wind-erosion event, both
Q
and
E
values remained constant except for the unpaved road, where both values decreased by 50 % in relation to the second event. Emission from the agricultural soils was sustained over successive wind-erosion events even when saltation was low. The sandblasting efficiency for PM10 emission was found to be higher for agricultural soils than for the unpaved road, and increased over wind-erosion events particularly in agricultural soils, and this was also reflected in the PM10 vertical entrainment. Results suggest that sandblasting efficiency and PM10 vertical distribution can change among wind-erosion events even for the same surface. The saltation fraction to PM10 content ratio can be a simple indicator of the general behaviour of an emitting surface during successive wind-erosion events.
Internet Addiction (IA) refers to excessive or uncontrolled behaviors related to Internet access, causing impairment or distress. Similarly, Smartphone Addiction (SPA) involves the excessive use of ...smartphones, disrupting users' daily lives. Cognitive control plays a relevant role in the development of IA and SPA, with executive functions and rewards processing being particularly important.
This study aims to provide a synthesis of scientific evidence on the differential effects of IA and SPA on cognition in young adults and adolescents, using fMRI.
Relevant articles published between 2013 and May 2023 were identified following the PRISMA protocol.
Included studies (n = 21) revealed that both behavioral addictions were associated with impairments in cognitive control related to reward processing (ACC, insula, amygdala) and executive function (DLPFC, frontal, parietal lobes) in adolescents and young adults.
These findings provide evidence for neuroanatomical similarities between IA and SPA in young adults and adolescents related to executive functions and rewards processing. However, differential effects of SPA and IA on cognitive control were not found in this study. Future research should explore the relationship between these addictions with other cognitive domains to further expand our understanding within this field. While both IA and SPA involve the excessive use of online technology, SPA could involve a higher risk, given that smartphones allow internet connectivity anytime.
•Similarities and differences in IA/SPA adolescents and young adults are studied.•IA and SPA are associated with impairments in executive functions and reward systems.•No differences were identified in the brain areas involved in IA and SPA.•The ACC, insula and amygdala, related to reward processing, were impaired in IA/SPA.•Alterations in the DLPFC, frontal, parietal and occipital lobes were found in IA/SPA.
•A bioET combining biosensors sensitive to phenols and sugars has been developed.•The use of Ppy/AuNPs as electron mediator improves the performance of the sensors.•The bioET is able to predict the ...IPT and sugar content of grapes.•The bioET is able to predict the IPT and alcoholic degree of wines.•The bioET can correlate the quality of grapes with that of wines obtained from them.
A bioelectronic tongue (bioET) based on combinations of enzymes (tyrosinase and glucose oxidase) and polypyrrole (Ppy) or polypyrrole/AuNP (Ppy/AuNP) composites was build up and applied to the analysis and discrimination of musts and wines. Voltammetric responses of the array of sensors demonstrated the effectiveness of polymers as electron mediators and the existence of favorable synergistic effects between Ppy and the AuNPs. Using Principal Component Analysis and Parallel Factor Analysis it was possible to discriminate musts according to the °Brix and TPI (Total Polyphenol Index), and wines according to the alcoholic degree and TPI. Partial Least Squares provided good correlations between the bioET output and traditional chemical parameters. Moreover, Support Vector Machines permitted to predict the TPI and the alcoholic degree of wines, from data provided by the bioET in the corresponding grapes. This result opens the possibility to predict wine characteristics from the beginning of the vinification process.
DNA sequences comprising noncanonical 7‐deazaguanine (7CG) and canonical cytosine (C) are capable of forming Watson–Crick base pairs via hydrogen bonds as well as silver(I)‐mediated base pairs by ...coordination to central silver(I) ions. Duplexes I and II containing 7CG and C have been synthesized and characterized. The incorporation of silver(I) ions into these duplexes has been studied by means of temperature‐dependent UV spectroscopy, circular dichroism, and DFT calculations. The results suggest the formation of DNA molecules comprising contiguous metallated 7CG‐AgI‐C Watson–Crick base pairs that preserve the original B‐type conformation. Furthermore, additional studies performed on duplex III indicated that, in the presence of AgI ions, 7CG–C and 7CA–T Watson–Crick base pairs (7CA, 7‐deazadenine; T, thymine) can be converted to metallated 7CG‐AgI‐C and 7CA‐AgI‐T base pairs inside the same DNA molecule whilst maintaining its initial double helix conformation. These findings are very important for the development of customized silver–DNA nanostructures based on a Watson–Crick complementarity pattern.
Full metal packet: 7‐Deazaguanine and canonical cytosine are capable of forming Watson–Crick base pairs via hydrogen bonds and silver(I)‐mediated base pairs by coordination to a central silver(I) ion. This finding, establishes a methodology for the preparation of metallo‐DNA systems based on the metallization of the whole Watson–Crick base‐paring pattern (see figure).
Trampling is one of the most frequent forms of human disturbance on rocky shores. This activity may directly reduce the abundance of dominant species, indirectly promote changes in the abundance of ...associated species and ultimately affect biological interactions. We assessed the effects of different intensities of human trampling on Brachidontes spp. mussel beds, a dominant feature on rocky intertidal flats of southwestern Atlantic coasts. We experimentally applied 6 levels of trampling intensity on a Patagonian rocky shore. Simulated trampling intensity ranged from 0 to 600 tramples per day, and plots were disturbed replicating local usage patterns (i.e. austral summer weekend recreation). By the end of the experiment, Brachidontes spp. coverage decreased as a result of increasing intensities of trampling and mostly replaced by bare rock. Even the lowest experimental intensity produced a loss of more than 40% of coverage. Changes in coverage were generally immediate and occurred after the first 2 trampling events, regardless of disturbance intensity. Our findings highlight that as few as 5 people walking on the mid-intertidal flat can produce a decline of the mussel bed cover in a specific area. Our findings also alert to the urgency of implementing effective management actions in this and other frequented areas dominated by similar habitat-forming species.
Candida is the most common human fungal pathogen and causes systemic infections that require neutrophils for effective host defense. Humans deficient in the C-type lectin pathway adaptor protein ...CARD9 develop spontaneous fungal disease that targets the central nervous system (CNS). However, how CARD9 promotes protective antifungal immunity in the CNS remains unclear. Here, we show that a patient with CARD9 deficiency had impaired neutrophil accumulation and induction of neutrophil-recruiting CXC chemokines in the cerebrospinal fluid despite uncontrolled CNS Candida infection. We phenocopied the human susceptibility in Card9-/- mice, which develop uncontrolled brain candidiasis with diminished neutrophil accumulation. The induction of neutrophil-recruiting CXC chemokines is significantly impaired in infected Card9-/- brains, from both myeloid and resident glial cellular sources, whereas cell-intrinsic neutrophil chemotaxis is Card9-independent. Taken together, our data highlight the critical role of CARD9-dependent neutrophil trafficking into the CNS and provide novel insight into the CNS fungal susceptibility of CARD9-deficient humans.
One of the main limitations of ultrasound imaging is that image quality and interpretation depend on the skill of the user and the experience of the clinician. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) methods ...provide objective, system-independent estimates of tissue properties, such as acoustic attenuation and backscattering properties of tissue, which are valuable as objective tools for both diagnosis and intervention. Accurate and precise estimation of these properties requires correct compensation for intervening tissue attenuation. Prior attempts to estimate intervening-tissue attenuation based on minimizing cost functions that compared backscattered echo data to models have resulted in limited precision and accuracy. To overcome these limitations, in this paper, we incorporate the prior information of piecewise continuity of QUS parameters as a regularization term into our cost function. We further propose to calculate this cost function using dynamic programming (DP), a computationally efficient optimization algorithm that finds the global optimum. Our results on tissue-mimicking phantoms show that DP substantially outperforms a published least squares method in terms of both estimation bias and variance.
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