LC‐DAD/ESI‐MS/MS study of phenolic compounds in ash (Fraxinus excelsior L. and F. americana L.) heartwood. Effect of toasting intensity at cooperage

The phenolic composition of heartwood extracts from Fraxinus excelsior L. and F. americana L., both before and after toasting in cooperage, was studied using LC‐DAD/ESI‐MS/MS. Low‐molecular weight (LMW) phenolic compounds, secoiridoids, phenylethanoid glycosides, dilignols and oligolignols compounds were detected, and 48 were identified, or tentatively characterized, on the basis of their retention time, UV/Vis and MS spectra, and MS fragmentation patterns. Some LMW phenolic compounds like protocatechuic acid and aldehyde, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, were unlike to those for oak wood, while ellagic and gallic acid were not found. The toasting of wood resulted in a progressive increase in lignin degradation products with regard to toasting intensity. The levels of some of these compounds in medium‐toasted ash woods were much higher than those normally detected in toasted oak, highlighting vanillin levels, thus a more pronounced vanilla character can be expected when using toasted ash wood in the aging wines. Moreover, in seasoned wood, we found a great variety of phenolic compounds which had not been found in oak wood, especially oleuropein, ligstroside and olivil, along with verbascoside and isoverbascoside in F. excelsior, and oleoside in F. americana. Toasting mainly provoked their degradation, thus in medium‐toasted wood, only four of them were detected. This resulted in a minor differentiation between toasted ash and oak woods. The absence of tannins in ash wood, which are very important in oak wood, is another peculiar characteristic that should be taken into account when considering its use in cooperage. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In situ characterization of Pt catalysts supported on ceria modified TiO2 for the WGS reaction: influence of ceria loading

This work analyzes the influence of cerium content (6-15 wt%) on a TiO(2) support over the structure and water gas shift (WGS) activity of Pt catalysts. The structural properties of these Pt/Ce-TiO(2) catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM and XANES. Physicochemical characterization of the catalysts showed differences in the structure and dispersion of Ce entities on the support with Ce loading. For the samples with low ceria content (6 wt%), cerium is deposited on the support in the form of CeO(x) clusters in a highly dispersed state in close interaction with the Ti atoms. The formation of CeO(x) clusters at low Ce-loading on the support facilitates the dispersion of small particles of Pt and improves the reducibility of ceria component at low temperatures. The changes in platinum dispersion and support reducibility with Ce-loading on the TiO(2) support lead to significant differences in the WGS activity. Pt supported on the sample with lower Ce content (6 wt%) shows better activity than those corresponding to catalysts with higher Ce content (15 wt%). Activity measurements coupled with catalysts characterization suggest that the improvement in the reducibility of the support with lower Ce content was associated with the presence of CeO(x) clusters of high reducibility that improve the chemical activity of the oxide-metal interfaces at which the WGS reaction takes place.     

Not Fully Developed Turbulence in the Dow Jones Index

The shape of the curves relating the scaling exponents of the structure functions to the order of these functions is shown to distinguish the Dow Jones index from other stock market indices. We conclude from the shape differences that the information-loss rate for the Dow Jones index is reduced at smaller time scales, while it grows for other indices. This anomaly is due to the construction of the index, in particular to its dependence on a single market parameter: price. Prices are subject to turbulence bursts, which act against full development of turbulence.     

Design, synthesis and biological activity of a targeted library of potential tryptase inhibitors

We have designed, synthesized, and tested two small collections of potential tryptase inhibitors. The first library consists of diversely N-substituted 3-aminopiperidin-2-ones 6, and the second (compounds 7) was prepared by dimerising compounds 6 through the 3-amino function using diverse carbon chains. We have established efficient routes for obtaining 6 both in solution and on solid supports. We have also compared the dimerisation on-resin and in solution. Four of the compounds showed a high degree of tryptase inhibition at 1 microM, but none surpassed the tryptase inhibition activity of BABIM.     

Advances in Xmipp for Cryo–Electron Microscopy: From Xmipp to Scipion

Xmipp is an open-source software package consisting of multiple programs for processing data originating from electron microscopy and electron tomography, designed and managed by the Biocomputing Unit of the Spanish National Center for Biotechnology, although with contributions from many other developers over the world. During its 25 years of existence, Xmipp underwent multiple changes and updates. While there were many publications related to new programs and functionality added to Xmipp, there is no single publication on the Xmipp as a package since 2013. In this article, we give an overview of the changes and new work since 2013, describe technologies and techniques used during the development, and take a peek at the future of the package.     

Rapid In Vitro Screening of Polymers for Biocompatibility

A rapid in vitro screening protocol to guide selection and monitoring of polymers for implant or extracorporeal applications is described. There are four main procedures under the protocol: 1) and 2) measurement of physical property change over thermal and simulated biochemical stress, 3) infrared spectrophotometric assay of migratible species developed over simulated biochemical stress, and 4) cell culture sensitivity to those migratible species. In vivo biochemical stress was simulated and accelerated by exposing polymer specimens to a pseudoextracellular fluid (PECF) at 120°C for 62 hr.

Results from procedures 3) and 4) are presented. These show a good correlation between cell culture response and the total carbon-hydrogen bonds developed in the PSF over the exposure period. Correlation of these data with available clinical and animal implant experience is consistent and is discussed in detail. Infrared assays for a candidate polymer may be obtained at relatively low cost within 4 days and stand as a rational basis for rejection or retention for preclinical in vivo studies.     

Molecular dynamics and crystallization precursors in polylactide and poly(lactide)/CNT biocomposites in the insulating state

The early stages of the cold crystallization process and the formation of a rigid amorphous phase as seen by the dielectric response of polylactide, PLA, and composites polylactide/carbon nanotubes, PLA/CNT, are studied here by broadband dielectric spectroscopy for CNT concentrations below percolation. The presence of precursors during the nucleation and crystallization process is demonstrated by the existence of a time shift between the decline in the number of mobile segments and the growth of a 3D ordered phase as seen by variable temperature wide angle X-ray scattering measurements. Also, the loss of the mobile amorphous phase is not justified by the slow lamellar growth in identical conditions. The variation of the molecular dynamics, either for short range reorientations or cooperative motions, is followed in both amorphous and semicrystalline states. The changes observed in the composites PLA/CNT show a moderate heterogeneous nucleating effect of the nanofiller and a sensitivity of the three subglass transitions to the chain ordering. The relaxation parameters of the segmental relaxation are not very sensitive to the presence either of lamellae or of the nanofiller.     

Primary and secondary dielectric relaxations in semi-crystalline and amorphous starch

The thermally stimulated depolarization current technique, TSDC, has been used to study the dielectric relaxations in cassava starch on semi-crystalline and amorphous samples. The A-type structure was observed by WAXS experiments and the variation of the crystallinity as a function of the moisture content, h, was followed on native starch. Retrogradation of the amorphous sample occurred at room temperature after 4 weeks in a closed vessel with a water activity 97.3%. In these conditions the humidity content reached a value of 28.5 wt% dry base and the crystallinity degree was comparable to that of the native starch. Three secondary relaxation modes were detected and attributed to short range orientations of polar groups and to main chain restricted motion. The influence of the moisture plasticization effect on the relaxation parameters of the local modes, was determined by decomposing the global TSDC curve in elementary Debye peaks with Arrhenius relaxation times. The main relaxation, α, which is proposed to be the dielectric manifestation of the dynamic glass transition, sweeps a wide temperature interval around room temperature as the sample dries, shifting to higher temperatures as a result of the plasticization of the polysaccharide by water molecules. The α peak deconvolution lead to the 2D relaxation time distribution and Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher parameters were obtained confirming the cooperative character of this mode. The transformed sample showed a bimodal distribution of segmental relaxation times that is interpreted as the existence of a heterogeneous amorphous phase: the mobile one which is similar to the original disordered phase present in semi-crystalline native starch and a more restricted one originated by the disruption of the crystalline lamellae during the pre-gelatinization process.     

HPLC study of the efficiency of extraction of phenolic compounds

Summary The rate of extraction of phenolic compounds in two different solvents has been studied by liquid chromatography (HPLC) under reverse phase, gradient elution conditions. The solvents were diethyl ether and ethyl acetate. The method has been applied to two natural samples, a white wine and apple pulp.