scholarly journals Biomechanical properties of wheat grains: the implications on milling

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (126) ◽  
pp. 20160828 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Hourston ◽  
Michael Ignatz ◽  
Martin Reith ◽  
Gerhard Leubner-Metzger ◽  
Tina Steinbrecher

Millennia of continuous innovation have driven ever increasing efficiency in the milling process. Mechanically characterizing wheat grains and discerning the structure and function of the wheat bran layers can contribute to continuing innovation. We present novel shear force and puncture force testing regimes to characterize different wheat grain cultivars. The forces endured by wheat grains during the milling process can be quantified, enabling us to measure the impact of commonly applied grain pretreatments, such as microwave heating, extended tempering, enzyme and hormone treatments on grains of different ‘hardness’. Using these methods, we demonstrate the importance of short tempering phases prior to milling and identify ways in which our methods can detect differences in the maximum force, energy and breaking behaviours of hard and soft grain types. We also demonstrate for the first time, endosperm weakening in wheat, through hormone stratification on single bran layers. The modern milling process is highly refined, meaning that small, cultivar specific, adjustments can result in large increases in downstream profits. We believe that methods such as these, which enable rapid testing of milling pretreatments and material properties can help to drive an innovation process that has been core to our industrial efforts since prehistory.

Biomolecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piero Monaco ◽  
Virginie Marcel ◽  
Jean-Jacques Diaz ◽  
Frédéric Catez

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) undergoes post-transcriptional modification of over 200 nucleotides, predominantly 2′-O-methylation (2′-O-Me). 2′-O-Methylation protects RNA from hydrolysis and modifies RNA strand flexibility but does not contribute to Watson-Crick base pairing. The contribution of 2′-O-Me to the translational capacity of ribosomes has been established. Yet, how 2′-O-Me participates in ribosome biogenesis and ribosome functioning remains unclear. The development of 2′-O-Me quantitative mapping methods has contributed to the demonstration that these modifications are not constitutive but rather provide heterogeneity to the ribosomal population. Moreover, recent advances in ribosome structure analysis and in vitro translation assays have proven, for the first time, that 2′-O-Me contributes to regulating protein synthesis. This review highlights the recent data exploring the impact of 2′-O-Me on ribosome structure and function, and the emerging idea that the rRNA epitranscriptome is involved in translational control.


Author(s):  
Sushanth Gouni ◽  
Mario L. Marques-Piubelli ◽  
Paolo Strati

The survival and proliferation of follicular lymphoma (FL) cells is strongly dependent on macrophages, their presence being necessary for the propagation of FL cells in vitro. To this regard, as shown also for the majority of solid tumors, a high tissue content of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), particularly if showing a pro-tumoral phenotype (also called M2) has strongly associated with a poor outcome among FL patients treated with chemotherapy. The introduction of rituximab, an anti-CD20 antibody which can be used by TAMs to performed antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis, has challenged this paradigm. In the rituximab-era, in fact, clinical studies have yielded conflicting results in FL, showing variable outcomes based on the type of employed regimen. This has highlighted for the first time that the impact of TAM on the prognosis of FL patients may depend on the administered treatment, emphasizing the need to better understand how currently available therapies affect macrophage function in FL. We summarize here the impact of approved and novel therapies for FL on the biology of TAMs, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, lenalidomide, and targeted agents, and describe their effects on macrophage phagocytosis, polarization and function. While novel agents targeting the CD47/SIRPα axis are being developed and showing promising activity in FL, a deeper understanding of macrophage biology and their complex pathways will help to develop novel and safer therapeutic strategies for patients with this type of lymphoma.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (13) ◽  
pp. 162-168
Author(s):  
Pippa Hales ◽  
Corinne Mossey-Gaston

Lung cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers across Northern America and Europe. Treatment options offered are dependent on the type of cancer, the location of the tumor, the staging, and the overall health of the person. When surgery for lung cancer is offered, difficulty swallowing is a potential complication that can have several influencing factors. Surgical interaction with the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) can lead to unilateral vocal cord palsy, altering swallow function and safety. Understanding whether the RLN has been preserved, damaged, or sacrificed is integral to understanding the effect on the swallow and the subsequent treatment options available. There is also the risk of post-surgical reduction of physiological reserve, which can reduce the strength and function of the swallow in addition to any surgery specific complications. As lung cancer has a limited prognosis, the clinician must also factor in the palliative phase, as this can further increase the burden of an already compromised swallow. By understanding the surgery and the implications this may have for the swallow, there is the potential to reduce the impact of post-surgical complications and so improve quality of life (QOL) for people with lung cancer.


2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Erickson-Levendoski ◽  
Mahalakshmi Sivasankar

The epithelium plays a critical role in the maintenance of laryngeal health. This is evident in that laryngeal disease may result when the integrity of the epithelium is compromised by insults such as laryngopharyngeal reflux. In this article, we will review the structure and function of the laryngeal epithelium and summarize the impact of laryngopharyngeal reflux on the epithelium. Research investigating the ramifications of reflux on the epithelium has improved our understanding of laryngeal disease associated with laryngopharyngeal reflux. It further highlights the need for continued research on the laryngeal epithelium in health and disease.


1998 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
John A Atkinson ◽  
Camilla Dickson ◽  
Jane Downes ◽  
Paul Robins ◽  
David Sanderson

Summary Two small burnt mounds were excavated as part of the programme to mitigate the impact of motorway construction in the Crawford area. The excavations followed a research strategy designed to address questions of date and function. This paper surveys the various competing theories about burnt mounds and how the archaeological evidence was evaluated against those theories. Both sites produced radiocarbon dates from the Bronze Age and evidence to suggest that they were cooking places. In addition, a short account is presented of two further burnt mounds discovered during the construction of the motorway in Annandale.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bibi Tahira ◽  
Naveed Saif ◽  
Muhammad Haroon ◽  
Sadaqat Ali

The current study tries to understand the diverse nature of relationship between personality Big Five Model (PBFM) and student's perception of abusive supervision in higher education institutions of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Pakistan. Data was collected in dyads i.e. (supervisors were asked to rate their personality attributes while student were asked to rate the supervisor behavior) through adopted construct. For this purpose, data was collected from three government state universities and one Private Sector University. The focus was on MS/M.Phill and PhD student and their supervisors of the mentioned universities. After measuring normality and validity regression analysis was conducted to assess the impact of supervisor personality characteristics that leads to abusive supervision. Findings indicate interestingly that except agreeableness other four attributes of (PBFM) are play their role for abusive supervision. The results are novel in the nature as for the first time Neuroticism, openness to experience, extraversion and conscientiousness are held responsible for the abusive supervision. The study did not explore the demographic characteristics, and moderating role of organizational culture, justice and interpersonal deviances to understand the strength of relationship in more detail way. Keywords: Personality big five model, abusive supervision, HEIs


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupesh Rastogi ◽  
Virendra Kumar

The first legislation in India relating to patents was the Act VI of 1856. The Indian Patents and Design Act, 1911 (Act II of 1911) replaced all the previous Acts. The Act brought patent administration under the management of Controller of Patents for the first time. After Independence, it was felt that the Indian Patents & Designs Act, 1911 was not fulfilling its objective. Various comities were constituted to recommend, framing a patent law which can fulfill the requirement of Indian Industry and people. The Indian Patent Act of 1970 was enacted to achieve the above objectives. The major provisions of the act, provided for process, not the product patents in food, medicines, chemicals with a term of 14 years and 5-7 for chemicals and drugs. The Act enabled Indian citizens to access cheapest medicines in the world and paved a way for exponential growth of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry. TRIPS agreement, which is one of the important results of the Uruguay Round, mandated strong patent protection, especially for pharmaceutical products, thereby allowing the patenting of NCEs, compounds and processes. India is thereby required to meet the minimum standards under the TRIPS Agreement in relation to patents and the pharmaceutical industry. India’s patent legislation must now include provisions for availability of patents for both pharmaceutical products and processes inventions. The present paper examines the impact of change in Indian Patent law on Pharmaceutical Industry.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabana Bibi ◽  
Ayesha Sarfraz ◽  
Ghazala Mustafa ◽  
Zeeshan Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad Aurang Zeb ◽  
...  

Background: Coronavirus Disease-2019 belongs to the family of viruses which cause a serious pneumonia along with fever, breathing issues and infection of lungs for the first time in China and later spread worldwide. Objective: Several studies and clinical trials have been conducted to identify potential drugs and vaccines for Coronavirus Disease-2019. The present study listed natural secondary metabolites identified from plant sources with antiviral properties and could be safer and tolerable treatment for Coronavirus Disease-2019. Methods: A comprehensive search on the reported studies was conducted using different search engine such as Google scholar, SciFinder, Sciencedirect, Medline PubMed, and Scopus for the collection of research articles based on plantderived secondary metabolites, herbal extracts, and traditional medicine for coronavirus infections. Results: Status of COVID-19 worldwide and information of important molecular targets involved in COVID-19 is described and through literature search, is highlighted that numerous plant species and their extracts possess antiviral properties and studied with respect to Coronavirus treatments. Chemical information, plant source, test system type with mechanism of action for each secondary metabolite is also mentioned in this review paper. Conclusion: The present review has listed plants that have presented antiviral potential in the previous coronavirus pandemics and their secondary metabolites which could be significant for the development of novel and a safer drug which could prevent and cure coronavirus infection worldwide.


Author(s):  
Elli Anagnostou ◽  
Alexia Kafkoutsou ◽  
Despina Mavrogianni ◽  
Ekaterini Domali ◽  
Evangelia Dimitroulia ◽  
...  

Background: Molecular biology tools, such as the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), have been considered to assist to the management of the ovarian stimulation protocols. Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of two polymorphisms, the Asn680Ser polymorphism of the FSHR gene, and the FSH β subunit (FSHβ) gene polymorphism -211 G>T, in a Greek population of women undergoing IVF/ICSI program in our center. In addition, a control group of fertile women was studied, to verify whether there are differences in the genotype distribution between fertile and infertile population for both polymorphisms, as the FSHβ gene polymorphism -211 G>T is studied for the first time in the Greek population. Results : The FSH β-211 G>T polymorphism, studied for the first time in the Greek infertile population, appears to be quite rare. When studying the two polymorphisms separately, statistically significant differences were obtained that concerned the LH levels. Discussion: According to the combination analysis of the two polymorphisms by the number of alleles, women with 2-3 polymorphic alleles needed more days of stimulation, but there were no differences in pregnancy rates. Conclusion: This molecular genetic study helps to elucidate whether the polygenic combination of the Asn680Ser and FSH β subunit -211 G>T gene polymorphisms is of additive value in the prediction of ovarian response to exogenous gonadotropins.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 1046-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Przemysław Gajda-Morszewski ◽  
Klaudyna Śpiewak-Wojtyła ◽  
Maria Oszajca ◽  
Małgorzata Brindell

Lactoferrin was isolated and purified for the first time over 50-years ago. Since then, extensive studies on the structure and function of this protein have been performed and the research is still being continued. In this mini-review we focus on presenting recent scientific efforts towards the elucidation of the role and therapeutic potential of lactoferrin saturated with iron(III) or manganese(III) ions. The difference in biological activity of metal-saturated lactoferrin vs. the unmetalated one is emphasized. The strategies for oral delivery of lactoferrin, are also reviewed, with particular attention to the metalated protein.


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