Pineapple is consumed on a large scale around the world due to its appreciated sensorial characteristics. The industry of minimally processed pineapple produces enormous quantities of by-products ...(30–50%) which are generally undervalued. The end-of-life of pineapple by-products (PBP) can be replaced by reuse and renewal flows in an integrated process to promote economic growth by reducing consumption of natural resources and diminishing food waste. In our study, pineapple shell (PS) and pineapple core (PC), vacuum-packed separately, were subjected to moderate hydrostatic pressure (225 MPa, 8.5 min) (MHP) as abiotic stress to increase bromelain activity and antioxidant capacity. Pressurized and raw PBP were lyophilized to produce a stable powder. The dehydrated samples were characterized by the following methodologies: chemical and physical characterization, total phenolic compounds (TPC), antioxidant capacity, bromelain activity, microbiology, and mycotoxins. Results demonstrated that PBP are naturally rich in carbohydrates (66–88%), insoluble (16–28%) and soluble (2–4%) fiber, and minerals (4–5%). MHP was demonstrated to be beneficial in improving TPC (2–4%), antioxidant activity (2–6%), and bromelain activity (6–32%) without affecting the nutritional value. Furthermore, microbial and mycotoxical analysis demonstrated that powdered PC is a safe by-product. PS application is possible but requires previous decontamination to reduce the microbiological load.
Fundamental physiologic and pathologic phenomena such as wound healing and cancer metastasis are typically associated with the migration of cells through adjacent extracellular matrix. In recent ...years, advances in biomimetic materials have supported the progress in 3D cell culture and provided biomedical tools for the development of models to study spheroid invasiveness. Despite this, the exceptional biochemical and biomechanical properties of human‐derived materials are poorly explored. Human methacryloyl platelet lysates (PLMA)‐based hydrogels are herein proposed as reliable 3D platforms to sustain in vivo‐like cell invasion mechanisms. A systematic analysis of spheroid viability, size, and invasiveness is performed in three biomimetic materials: PLMA hydrogels at three different concentrations, poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate, and Matrigel. Results demonstrate that PLMA hydrogels perfectly support the recapitulation of the tumor invasion behavior of cancer cell lines (MG‐63, SaOS‐2, and A549) and human bone‐marrow mesenchymal stem cell spheroids. The distinct invasiveness ability of each cell type is reflected in the PLMA hydrogels and, furthermore, different mechanical properties produce an altered invasive behavior. The herein presented human PLMA‐based hydrogels could represent an opportunity to develop accurate cell invasiveness models and open up new possibilities for humanized and personalized high‐throughput screening and validation of anticancer drugs.
Human methacryloyl platelet lysates (PLMA)‐based hydrogels have been recently proposed as a new cost‐effective and biologically relevant 3D platform. PLMA hydrogels are demonstrated to support invasion mechanisms of different human cell spheroids allowing a distinct invasiveness ability depending on their mechanical properties, thus validating their potential to develop accurate cell invasiveness models.
Dendrimers have emerged as a powerful class of nanomaterials in the nanomedicine field due to their unique structural features: globular, well‐defined, highly branched and controllable structure, ...nanosize‐scale, low polydispersity, and the presence of several terminal groups that can be functionalized with different ligands simulating the multivalency present in different biological systems. Although in its infancy, the application of dendrimers as therapeutics or theranostic tools in central nervous system (CNS) disorders is already significant and has opened promising avenues in the treatment of many conditions where the inherent “smartness” of the dendritic structures is being explored to effectively target the CNS. Here we present an overview of the past and future challenges of the use of dendrimers to respond to one of the ultimate challenges in the (nano)medicine field: to attain CNS repair and regeneration.
Here is presented an overview of the past, present, and future challenges of the exploration of the inherent “smartness” of dendrimers to effectively target the central nervous system (CNS) to respond to one of the ultimate challenges in the (nano)medicine field: to attain CNS repair and regeneration.
The coupling between neuronal activity and cerebral blood flow (CBF) is essential for normal brain function. The mechanisms behind this neurovascular coupling process remain elusive, mainly because ...of difficulties in probing dynamically the functional and coordinated interaction between neurons and the vasculature in vivo. Direct and simultaneous measurements of nitric oxide (NO) dynamics and CBF changes in hippocampus in vivo support the notion that during glutamatergic activation nNOS-derived NO induces a time-, space-, and amplitude-coupled increase in the local CBF, later followed by a transient increase in local O2 tension. These events are dependent on the activation of the NMDA-glutamate receptor and nNOS, without a significant contribution of endothelial-derived NO or astrocyte–neuron signaling pathways. Upon diffusion of NO from active neurons, the vascular response encompasses the activation of soluble guanylate cyclase. Hence, in the hippocampus, neurovascular coupling is mediated by nNOS-derived NO via a diffusional connection between active glutamatergic neurons and blood vessels.
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•Nitric oxide is a mediator of neurovascular coupling in hippocampus.•Nitric oxide induces a time-, space-, and amplitude-coupled increase in local CBF.•Both NO and CBF dynamics are dependent on the activation of NMDA receptors and nNOS.•The CBF increase mediated by neuronal-derived NO depends on the activation of sGC.
The understanding of the unorthodox actions of neuronal‐derived nitric oxide (•NO) in the brain has been constrained by uncertainties regarding its quantitative profile of change in time and space. ...As a diffusible intercellular messenger, conveying information associated with its concentration dynamics, both the synthesis via glutamate stimulus and inactivation pathways determine the profile of •NO concentration change. In vivo studies, encompassing the real‐time measurement of •NO concentration dynamics have allowed us to gain quantitative insights into the mechanisms inherent to •NO‐mediated signaling pathways. It has been of particular interest to study the diffusion properties and half‐life, the interplay between •NO and O2 and the ensuing functional consequences for regulation of O2 consumption, the role of vasculature in shaping •NO signals in vivo, and the mechanisms that are responsible for •NO to achieve the coupling between glutamatergic neuronal activation and local microcirculation.
•Evaluate environmental land use conflicts (LUC) in rural watersheds.•Investigate the ecological quality of surface water in LUC areas.•Characterize the structure of macroinvertebrate communities ...within LUC areas.•Assess the overall impact of LUC on the riverine ecosystem.•Propose measures of soil conservation and water protection to mitigate impacts of LUC.
Starting from a diagnosis of areas with different environmental land use conflicts located in various rural sub-basins of the River Sordo basin (northern Portugal), the present study analyzed the ecological quality of surface water in small mountain streams to establish a relationship between land use, water and aquatic biota. Environmental land use conflicts were set up on the basis of land use and land capability maps, coded as follows: 1 – agriculture, 2 – pasture, 3 – pasture/forest, and 4 – forest. Land capability was assessed by the ruggedness number methodology (RN). The difference between the codes of capability and use defines a conflict class, where a negative or null value means no conflict and a positive value means class i conflict. Within and without the conflict areas, ecological quality of surface water was evaluated by the metrics EPT taxa, IPtIN index, diversity of Shannon–Wiener and Evenness index. Macroinvertebrate communities are strongly correlated to conflict classes, because sites without (reference sites) or with minor physicochemical and hydromorphological degradation (Class 1) presented high diversity, evenness, EPT taxa and IPtIN index, while more impacted sites (Class 2) presented an ecological status not fulfilling the demands of the European Union Water Framework Directive (2000/60). The present study indicates a significant impact of land use on water quality which has straight influence on the distribution of biota, emphasizing the key role of riparian vegetation in the conservation of aquatic ecosystems. The highest impacts on macroinvertebrate assemblages were associated with changes in water quality parameters such as temperature, oxygen saturation (%), turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), nitrates, phosphates and sulphates, conductivity and dissolved oxygen, as well as hydromorphological alterations driven by the total absence of riparian vegetation as a consequence of terrace building, agriculture and the resectioning/reinforcement of the banks associated with the culture of vine. Macroinvertebrates proved reliable to distinguish conflict classes and separate seasons. The main conservation measures required to improve the conflict areas in the short and medium term mainly include the adoption of agroforestry practices as these not only improve the quality of water and soil, maintaining land resources over a long period of use, but also brings many benefits to the landowner.
Collaborative Manufacturing Scheduling (CMS) is not yet a properly explored decision making practice, although its potential for being currently explored, in the digital era, by combining efforts ...among a set of entities, either persons or machines, to jointly cooperate for solving some more or less complex scheduling problem, namely occurring in job shop manufacturing environments. In this paper, an interoperable scheduling system integrating a proposed scheduling model, along with varying kinds of solving algorithms, are put forward and analyzed through an industrial case study. The case study was decomposed in three application scenarios, for enabling the evaluation of the proposed scheduling model when envisioning the prioritization of internal–makespan-or external–number of tardy jobs-performance measures, along with a third scenario assigning a same importance or weight to both kinds of performance measures. The results obtained enabled us to realize that the weighted application scenario permitted reaching more balanced, thus a potentially more attractive global solution for the scheduling problem considered through the combination of different kinds of scheduling algorithms for the resolution of each underlying sub problem according to the proposed scheduling model. Besides, the decomposition of a global more complex scheduling problem into simpler sub-problems turns them easier to be solved through the different solving algorithms available, while further enabling to obtain a wider range of alternative schedules to be explored and evaluated. Thus, contributing to enriching the scheduling problem-solving process. A future exploration of the application in other types of manufacturing environments, namely occurring in the context of extended, networked, distributed or virtual production systems, integrating an increased and variable set of collaborating entities or factories, is also suggested.
The measurement of Nitric oxide (
NO) in real-time has been a major concern due to the involvement of this ubiquitous free radical modulator in several physiological and pathological pathways in ...tissues. Here we performed a study aiming at evaluating different types of carbon fibers, namely Textron, Amoco, Courtaulds and carbon nanotubes (University of Kentucky) covered with Nafion
®/
o-phenylenediamine (
o-PD) for
NO measurement in terms of sensitivity, LOD, response time and selectivity against major potential interferents in the brain (ascorbate, nitrite and dopamine). The results indicate that, as compared with the other carbon fibers and nanotubes, Textron carbon fiber microelectrodes coated with two layers of Nafion
® and
o-PD exhibited better characteristics for
NO measurement as they are highly selective against ascorbate (>30,000:1), nitrite (>2000:1) and dopamine (>80:1). These coated Textron microelectrodes showed an average sensitivity of 341
±
120
pA/μM and a detection limit of 16
±
11
nM. The better performance of the Textron fibers is likely related to a stronger adhesion or more uniform coating of the Nafion
® and
o-PD polymers to the fiber surface. In addition, the background current of the Textron carbon fibers is low, contributing to the excellent signal-to-noise for detection of
NO.
► Direct sub-second nitric oxide measurements in intact tissue. ► Determination of nitric oxide diffusion coefficient and half-life in the living brain. ► Assessment of the concepts of free, hindered ...and facilitated nitric oxide diffusion in the brain
in vivo. ► Evidence for a pathway that facilitates nitric oxide diffusion in neuronal tissue.
Nitric oxide (
NO) is a diffusible messenger that conveys information based on its concentration dynamics, which is dictated by the interplay between its synthesis, inactivation and diffusion. Here, we characterized
NO diffusion in the rat brain
in vivo. By direct sub-second measurement of
NO, we determined the diffusion coefficient of
NO in the rat brain cortex. The value of 2.2
×
10
−5
cm
2/s obtained
in vivo was only 14% lower than that obtained in agarose gel (used to evaluate
NO free diffusion). These results reinforce the view of
NO as a fast diffusing messenger but, noticeably, the data indicates that neither
NO diffusion through the brain extracellular space nor homogeneous diffusion in the tissue through brain cells can account for the similarity between
NO free diffusion coefficient and that obtained in the brain. Overall, the results support that
NO diffusion in brain tissue is heterogeneous, pointing to the existence of a pathway that facilitates
NO diffusion, such as cell membranes and other hydrophobic structures.
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