In Vitro Inhibitory Effects of Viburnum opulus Bark and Flower Extracts on Digestion of Potato Starch and Carbohydrate Hydrolases Activity

One of the effective treatments for diabetes is to reduce and delay the absorption of glucose by inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase in the digestive tract. Currently, there is a great interest in natural inhibitors from various part of plants. In the present study, the phenolic compounds composition of V. opulus bark and flower, and their inhibitory effects on in vitro potato starch digestion as well as on α-amylase and α-glucosidase, have been studied. Bark and flower phenolic extracts reduced the amount of glucose released from potato starch during tree-stage simulated digestion, with IC₅₀ value equal to 87.77 µg/mL and 148.87 µg/mL, respectively. Phenolic bark extract showed 34.9% and 38.4% more potent inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase, respectively, but the activity of plant extracts was lower than that of acarbose. Chlorogenic acid (27.26% of total phenolics) and (+)-catechin (30.48% of total phenolics) were the most prominent phenolics in the flower and bark extracts, respectively. Procyanidins may be responsible for the strongest V. opulus bark inhibitory activity against α-amylase, while (+)-catechin relative to α-glucosidase. This preliminary study provides the basis of further examination of the suitability of V. opulus bark compounds as components of nutraceuticals and functional foods with antidiabetic activity.     

Evolution of the truncated Mellin moments of the parton distributions in QCD analysis

We review evolution equations for the truncated Mellin moments of the parton distributions and some their applications in QCD analysis. The main finding of the presented approach is that the nth truncated moment of the parton distribution obeys also the DGLAP equation but with a rescaled splitting function P′(z) = z ⁿ P(z). This allows one to avoid the problem of dealing with the experimentally unexplored Bjorken-x region. The evolution equations for truncated moments are universal—they are valid in each order of perturbation expansion and can be useful additional tool in analysis of unpolarized as well as polarized nucleon structure functions.     

Manufacturing of Volumetric Glass–Based Composites with Single‐ and Double‐QD Doping

Quantum dot (QD)‐based light‐emitting materials are gaining increased attention because of their easily tunable optical properties desired for various applications in biology, optoelectronics, and photonics. However, few methods can be used to manufacture volumetric materials doped with more than one type of QD other than QD‐polymer hybrids, and they often require complicated preparation processes and are prone to luminescence quenching by QD aggregation and separation from the matrix. Here, simultaneous doping of a volumetric glass‐based nanocomposite with two types of QDs is demonstrated for the first time in a single‐step process using the nanoparticle direct doping method. Glass rods doped with CdTe, CdSe/ZnS, or co‐doped with both QDs, are obtained. Photoluminescence and lifetime experiments confirm temperature‐dependent double emission with maxima at 596 and 720 nm with mean lifetimes up to 16 ns, as well as radiative energy transfer from the short wavelength–emitting QDs to the long wavelength–emitting QDs. This approach may enable the simple and cost‐efficient manufacturing of bulk materials that produce multicolor luminescence with cascade excitation pumping. Applications that could benefit from this include broadband optical fiber amplifiers, backlight systems in LCD screens, high‐power LEDs, or down‐converting solar concentrators used to increase the efficiency of solar panels.     

Thermal,Raman and dielectric study of 0.5K0.5Bi0.5TiO3–0.5PbTiO3 ceramics

The 0.5K_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃–0.5PbTiO₃ ceramics were prepared by following a standard solid-state method. The Raman, thermal and dielectric properties of these ceramics were investigated. The X-ray measurements showed that samples have single perovskite-type structure with tetragonal symmetry. Dielectric study revealed that the dielectric behaviour of the investigated ceramics is rather of normal ferroelectrics with large thermal hysteresis. The transition temperature observed by means of differential scanning calorimetry measurements is in good agreement with that obtained from dielectric study.     

Relaxation and decoherence of orbital and spin degrees of freedom in quantum dots

The phonon induced mechanisms of relaxation/decoherence in quantum dots are analysed. A non-perturbative technique - a modification of the Davydov transformation appropriate to the localised particles is applied for solving the electron-phonon eigenvalue problem in a quantum dot at magnetic field presence. The decay rates for polaron relaxation via the anharmonicity induced channel are analysed in details. In particular, it is indicated that previous, of perturbative type, estimations of the anharminicity induced relaxation rates were too severe and after including the coherence effects they are of, at least, one order longer. The process of exciton dressing with phonons is also analysed as the unavoidable source of picosecond scale decoherence in optically driven nanostructures. A break-down of an instant Pauli spin blocking mechanism and a large enhancement of the Fröhlich constant for confined electrons are also addressed.     

Equilibrated thermodesorption studies of adsorption of n-hexane and n-heptane on zeolites Y, ZSM-5 and ZSM-11

Gravimetric measurements of thermodesorption of n-hexane and n-heptane were performed under quasi-equilibrium conditions. Differential thermodesorption profiles for ZSM-5 and ZSM-11 showed two peaks, but for Y zeolites, only one thermodesorption peak was observed. A model function, derived from the Langmiur adsorption model, was fitted to the experimental data, and the model parameters (the adsorption entropy and enthalpy) were estimated. The two-step desorption profiles observed for ZSM-5 and ZSM-11 were attributed to the commensurate freezing effect, i.e. a transition in the adsorbed phase resulting in ordering of the adsorbed molecules in the zeolite channels. The results observed for ZSM-11 indicate that the zigzag channels typical for ZSM-5 micropore system are not necessary for this transition to occur.     

Partitioning of atmospheric carbon dioxide over Central Europe: insights from combined measurements of CO 2 mixing ratios and their carbon isotope composition

Regular measurements of atmospheric CO ₂ mixing ratios and their carbon isotope composition (¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁴C/¹²C ratios) performed between 2005 and 2009 at two sites of contrasting characteristics (Krakow and the remote mountain site Kasprowy Wierch) located in southern Poland were used to derive fossil fuel-related and biogenic contributions to the total CO ₂ load measured at both sites. Carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere, not coming from fossil fuel and biogenic sources, was considered ‘background’ CO ₂. In Krakow, the average contribution of fossil fuel CO ₂ was approximately 3.4%. The biogenic component was of the same magnitude. Both components revealed a distinct seasonality, with the fossil fuel component reaching maximum values during winter months and the biogenic component shifted in phase by approximately 6 months. The partitioning of the local CO ₂ budget for the Kasprowy Wierch site revealed large differences in the derived components: the fossil fuel component was approximately five times lower than that derived for Krakow, whereas the biogenic component was negative in summer, pointing to the importance of photosynthetic sink associated with extensive forests in the neighbourhood of the station. While the presented study has demonstrated the strength of combined measurements of CO ₂ mixing ratios and their carbon isotope signature as efficient tools for elucidating the partitioning of local atmospheric CO ₂ loads, it also showed the important role of the land cover and the presence of the soil in the footprint of the measurement location, which control the net biogenic surface CO ₂ fluxes.     

The Influence of Polyols on the Process Kinetics and Bioactive Substance Content in Osmotic Dehydrated Organic Strawberries

In recent years, an increasing interest in reducing sugar consumption has been observed and many studies are conducted on the use of polyols in the osmotic dehydration process to obtain candied or dried fruits. The studies in the literature have focused on the kinetics of the process as well as the basic physical properties. In the scientific literature, there is a lack of investigation of the influence of such polyol solutions such as sorbitol and mannitol used as osmotic substances during the osmotic dehydration process on the contents of bioactive components, including natural colourants. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of polyols (mannitol and sorbitol) in different concentrations on the process kinetics and on chosen physical (colour and structural changes) as well as chemical (sugars and polyol content, total anthocyanin content, total polyphenol content, vitamin C, antioxidant activity) properties of osmotic-dehydrated organic strawberries. Generally, the results showed that the best solution for osmotic dehydration is 30% or 40% sorbitol solutions, while mannitol solution is not recommended due to difficulties with preparing a high-concentration solution and its crystallization in the tissue. In the case of sorbitol, the changes of bioactive compounds, as well as colour change, were similar to the sucrose solution. However, the profile of the sugar changed significantly, in which sucrose, glucose, and fructose were reduced in organic strawberries and were partially replaced by polyols.