Impact of malolactic fermentation on low molecular weight phenolic compounds

A reversed phase liquid chromatography-DAD method is proposed for analysis of major non-flavonoid phenolic compounds in wines. The method employed a mixture of acetic acid, water and methanol as eluents and was used to evaluate the impact of malolactic fermentation in low molecular phenolic compounds.

The wines analyzed underwent different treatments, like the addition of a pectolytic enzyme or lysozyme, and the way malolactic fermentation was carried out—spontaneously or with the inoculation of two different commercial lactic bacteria.

The main result observed was the disappearance of hydroxycinnamoyltartaric acids and the increase of resultant free forms, regardless the way malolactic fermentation was carried out.     

Identifying chemical sources of airborne contamination in lichen biomonitors through instrumental neutron activation analysis

Chemical elements were determined in epiphytic lichens from Terceira and Santa Maria islands (Azores, Portugal), by k ₀-standardized, instrumental neutron activation analysis. Abundance ranges were generally below those in mainland Portugal, except for Br (Terceira), Cl (Santa Maria), Na (Santa Maria), and Se (both islands). Elemental (averaged) contents of As, Br, Cl, Co, Cr, Mg, Na, Se, Hg and Zn were significantly different between the islands. Anthropogenic influence was discernible in Terceira if not in Santa Maria, where only crustal and marine sources are apparent.     

The Biochemical Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy†

The unbridled dissemination of multidrug-resistant pathogens is a major threat to global health and urgently demands novel therapeutic alternatives. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has been developed as a promising approach to treat localized infections regardless of drug resistance profile or taxonomy. Even though this technique has been known for more than a century, discussions and speculations regarding the biochemical mechanisms of microbial inactivation have never reached a consensus on what is the primary cause of cell death. Since photochemically generated oxidants promote ubiquitous reactions with various biomolecules, researchers simply assumed that all cellular structures are equally damaged. In this study, biochemical, molecular, biological and advanced microscopy techniques were employed to investigate whether protein, membrane or DNA damage correlates better with dose-dependent microbial inactivation kinetics. We showed that although mild membrane permeabilization and late DNA damage occur, no correlation with inactivation kinetics was found. On the other hand, protein degradation was analyzed by three different methods and showed a dose-dependent trend that matches microbial inactivation kinetics. Our results provide a deeper mechanistic understanding of aPDT that can guide the scientific community toward the development of optimized photosensitizing drugs and also rationally propose synergistic combinations with antimicrobial chemotherapy.     

Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured iron compounds prepared from the decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl dispersed into carbon materials with varying porosities

This work describes the production and characterization of carbon-iron nanocomposites obtained from the decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl (Fe(CO)₅) mixed with different carbon materials: a high surface area activated carbon (AC), powdered graphite (G), milled graphite (MG), and carbon black (CB). The nanocomposites were prepared either under argon or in ambient atmosphere, with a fixed ratio of Fe(CO)₅ (4.0 mL) to carbon precursor (2.0 g). The images of scanning electron microscopy and the analysis of textural properties indicated the presence of nanostructured Fe compounds homogeneously dispersed into the different classes of pores of the carbon matrices. The elemental Fe content was always larger for samples prepared in ambient atmosphere, reaching values in the range of 20–32 wt%. On the other hand, samples prepared under argon showed reduced Fe content, with values in the range 5–10 wt% for samples prepared from precursors with low surface area (G, MG, and CB) and a much higher value (~19 wt%) for samples prepared from the precursor of high surface area (AC). Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry showed that the nanoparticles were mostly composed of iron oxides in the case of the samples prepared in oxygen-rich ambient atmosphere and also for the AC-derived nanocomposite prepared under argon, which is consistent with the large oxygen content of this precursor. For the other precursors, with reduced or no oxygen content, metallic iron and iron carbides were found to be the dominant phases in samples prepared under oxygen-free atmosphere. The samples prepared in ambient atmosphere and the AC-derived sample prepared under argon exhibited superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature, as revealed by temperature-dependent magnetization curves and Mössbauer spectroscopy.     

Spectrometric and theoretical investigation of the structures of Cu and Pb/DTPA complexes

Spectrometric and theoretical tools have been employed in this study in order to elucidate the structures of DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) complexed to copper and lead. Mass spectrometry allowed determining the 1:1 stoichiometry of metal:ligand, while infrared spectroscopy demonstrated that both N and O are sites for complexation. ¹³C NMR analysis showed the existence of free and complexed carboxyl groups, due to a straight singlet at 180.7 ppm (free carboxylic ¹³C) and to a broad signal at 179.3 ppm (complexed carboxylic ¹³C, ² J _Pb…O=C). A distorted NMR signal were observed for the Cu–DTPA carboxyl group, due to the Cu²⁺ paramagnetism. Based on the spectrometric evidences for the metal–DTPA structures, DFT optimizations were carried out and an octahedral-like arrangement for the Cu complex and a “shell-like” arrangement for the Pb complex, both hexa-coordinated, were then proposed for the structures of the titled compounds.

Precise mass measurement of a double-stranded 500 base-pair (309 kDa) polymerase chain reaction product by negative ion electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICRMS) has been used to determine the mass of a double-stranded 500 base-pair (bp) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product with an average theoretical mass of the blunt-ended (i.e. unadenylated) species of 308 859.35 Da. The PCR product was generated from the linearized bacteriophage Lambda genome which is a double-stranded template. Utilization of ethanol precipitation in tandem with a rapid microdialysis step to purify and desalt the PCR product was crucial to obtain a precise mass measurement. The PCR product (0.8 pmol/μL) was electrosprayed from a solution containing 75% acetonitrile, 25 mM piperidine, and 25 mM imidazole and was infused at a rate of 200 nL/min. The average molecular mass and the corresponding precision were determined using the charge-states ranging from 172 to 235 net negative charges. The experimental mass and corresponding precision (reported as the 95% confidence interval of the mean) was 309 406 +/- 27 Da (87 ppm). The mass accuracy was compromised due to the fact that the PCR generates multiple products when using Taq polymerase due to the non-template directed 3'-adenylation. This results in a mixture of three PCR products with nearly identical mass (i.e. blunt-ended, mono-adenylated and di-adenylated) with unknown relative abundances that were not resolved in the spectrum. Thus, the experimental mass will be a weighted average of the three species which, under our experimental conditions, reflects a nearly equal concentration of the mono- and di-adenylated species. This report demonstrates that precise mass measurements of PCR products up to 309 kDa (500 bp) can be routinely obtained by ESI-FTICR requiring low femtomole amounts. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gas phase activation energy for unimolecular dissociation of biomolecular ions determined by focused RAdiation for gaseous multiphoton ENergy transfer (FRAGMENT)

We present a novel approach for the determination of activation energy for the unimolecular dissociation of a large (>50 atoms) ion, based on measurement of the unimolecular dissociation rate constant as a function of continuous-wave CO(2) laser intensity. Following a short ( approximately 1 s) induction period, CO(2) laser irradiation produces an essentially blackbody internal energy distribution, whose 'temperature' varies inversely with laser intensity. The only currently available method for measuring such activation energies is blackbody infrared radiative dissociation (BIRD). Compared with BIRD, FRAGMENT: (a) eliminates the need to heat the surrounding ion trap and vacuum chamber to each of several temperatures (each requiring hours for temperature equilibration); (b) offers a three-fold wider range of effective blackbody temperature; and (c) extends the range of applications to include initially cold ions (e.g., gas-phase H/D exchange). Our FRAGMENT-determined activation energy for dissociation of protonated bradykinin, 1.2 +/- 0.1 eV, agrees within experimental error to the value, 1.3 +/- 0.1 eV, previously reported by Williams et al. from BIRD experiments. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization of a single crystal cubic Prussian blue Co8(tacn)8(CN)12 cluster by ion trap and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry with microelectrospray ionization

A single crystal of Co₈(tacn)₈(CN)₁₂ has been characterized by microelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The spectra obtained by use of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR), ion trap and quadrupole mass spectrometers show the +4, +3, and +2 charge states of the cluster. With the aid of a 9.4 tesla FT-ICR mass spectrometer it was possible to resolve the isotope pattern for each individual charge state. The data collected suggest that microelectrospray renders spectra which are more specific to the intact molecule, whereas more fragmentation is induced under normal electrospray conditions. The present data suggest that microelectrospray is a powerful tool for characterization of Prussian blue complexes.     

Modelling of pipeline integrity taking into account the fluid–structure interaction

Two mechanical models have been presented in this paper for structural failure prediction of piping systems conveying liquids subjected to pressure transients. One model takes into account the axial fluid–structure interaction (FSI) phenomenon between fluid and pipe motion, whereas the other refers to an extension of the well-known waterhammer formulation. Both models are described by a system of non-linear hyperbolic equations which are solved by using a numerical procedure based upon the operator splitting technique and Glimm's scheme. To implement Glimm's method, it is presented the solution of a 4×4 Riemann problem with discontinuous coefficients. Numerical predictions of both models are presented and compared, so that the influence of the FSI term on the failure analysis is focused on. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.