The Inactivation Mechanism of Human Group IIA Phospholipase A2 by Scalaradial

Secretory phospholipases A₂ (sPLA₂s) are implicated in the pathogenesis of several inflammation diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, septic shock, psoriasis, and asthma. Thus, an understanding of their inactivation mechanisms could be useful for the development of new classes of chemical selective inhibitors. In the marine environment, several bioactive terpenoids possess interesting anti‐inflammatory activity, often through covalent and/or noncovalent inactivation of sPLA₂. Herein, we report the molecular mechanism of human group IIA phospholipase A₂ (sPLA₂‐IIA) inactivation by Scalaradial (SLD), a marine 1,4‐dialdehyde terpenoid isolated from the sponge Cacospongia mollior and endowed with a significant anti‐inflammatory profile. Our results have been collected by a combination of biochemical approaches, advanced mass spectrometry, surface plasmon resonance, and molecular modeling. These suggest that SLD acts as a competitive inhibitor. Indeed, the sPLA₂‐IIA inactivation process seems to be driven by the noncovalent recognition process of SLD in the enzyme active site and by chelation of the catalytic calcium ion. In contrast, covalent modification of the enzyme by the SLD dialdehyde moiety emerges as only a minor side event in the ligand–enzyme interaction. These results could be helpful for the rational design of new PLA₂ inhibitors that would be able to selectively target the enzyme active site.     

Blue fish burgers: nutritional characterisation and sensory optimisation

In order to reduce waste of marine resources, valorise fishing discards and move towards fish consumption, a new ready-to-cook seafood product was developed. In particular, a chemical investigation on chub mackerel and hake was conducted to the aim of mixing the two fish species to produce nutritionally balanced fish burgers. In addition, to evaluate consumer opinion about these new fresh products and best acceptability of different proportions of mackerel and hake, focus group interviews and consumer test were also performed. The results of the chemical analyses achieved on both selected fish species gave rise to minimally processed fish products with a high amount of chub mackerel, therefore providing the desired nutritional properties and low level of hake in order to obtain firmer and wetter burgers. By means of focus group interviews, the novelty and high level of convenience of the developed fresh commodity was highlighted. Consumer test declared that the most successful sample was that with 70% chub mackerel and 30% hake.     

Automatic selection of frequency and time intervals for classification of EEG signals

A novel technique is presented for the automatic selection of time and frequency intervals to be used in feature extraction on multidimensional signals acquired by an electroencephalogram (EEG). This technique is completely automatic, adaptive (task independent), and does not require any specific prior domain knowledge. Experimental results obtained by integrating the proposed technique in a system for brain computer interface (BCI) confirm its effectiveness.     

Fabrication of GM3-Enriched Sphingomyelin/Cholesterol Solid-Supported Lipid Membranes on Au/SiO2 Plasmonic Substrates

The fabrication of solid-supported artificial lipid bilayers enriched with biological agents is an important step for acquiring more insights into their behavior from in vitro studies. In this work we demonstrate the formation of lipid artificial membranes enriched with ganglioside GM3, whose role in the cell proliferation and tumor angiogenesis is still an object of extensive investigation. The membranes are formed by fusion of small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) obtained from the sonication of multi-lamellar vesicles (MLV) formed from a hydrated mixture of GM3, brain sphingomyelin and cholesterol. The effective formation of SUV was confirmed by Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. The recognition of the ganglioside in the biomimetic raft like biomembranes is accomplished via surface plasmon resonance (SPR) by exploiting the ganglioside affinity with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). The affinity constant of the binding between the inglobated GM3 and WGA has been measured for three different GM3 molar concentrations. Beside the effective generation of GM3-enriched biomimetic membranes, our results indicate a decrease in the apparent WGA–GM3 dissociation constant at increasing GM3 concentrations up to 20 mol%, consistent with clustering effects of the ganglioside in the fabricated biomembranes.     

Extraction of metals from automotive shredder residue:Preliminary results of different leaching systems

The study is focused on the extraction of valuable metals from automotive shredder residue (ASR) by different leaching solutions. First, ASR samples were roasted at 600 °C to simulate a thermal treatme...     

The impact of ICT on intermodal transportation systems: A modelling approach by Petri nets

The paper addresses the issues of modelling and managing Intermodal Transportation Systems (ITS) at the operational level, considering the impact of the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). ITS are regarded as discrete event systems and are modelled in a timed Petri net framework. In order to show the efficiency of the ITS modelling and controlling technique, the case study of the ferry terminal of Trieste (Italy) is considered. The results show that the approach can be employed to verify the potential of ICT for efficient real time management of ITS, and their impact on the ITS infrastructures.     

Liquid electrolyte positioning along the device channel influences the operation of Organic Electro-Chemical Transistors

In this work, we show the influence of the liquid electrolyte adsorption by porous films made of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)–poly(styrenesulfonate), PEDOT:PSS, on the operation of an Organic Electro-Chemical Transistor with an active channel based on these polymeric films. In particular, the effect of film hydration on device performance is evaluated by studying its electrical response as a function of the spatial position between the electrolyte and the channel electrodes. This is done by depositing a PEDOT:PSS film on a super-hydrophobic surface aimed at controlling the electrolyte confinement next to the electrodes. The device response shows that the confinement of ionic liquids near to the drain electrode results in a worsening of the current modulation. This result has been interpreted in the light of studies dealing with the transport of ions in semiconducting polymers, indicating that the electrolyte adsorption by the polymeric film implies the formation of liquid pathways inside its bulk. These pathways, in particular, affect the device response because they are able to assist the drift of ionic species in the electrolyte towards the drain electrode. The effect of electrolyte adsorption on the device operation is confirmed by means of moving-front measurements, and is related to the reproducibility of the device operation curves by measuring repeatedly its electrical response.     

Fatty acid composition of ewe milk as affected by solar radiation and high ambient temperature

Forty lactating Comisana ewes were either exposed to or protected from solar radiation and fed either in the morning or afternoon during summer in a Mediterranean climate. Individual milk samples were taken on days 7, 21 and 42 of the study period to determine fatty acid composition by gas chromatography. Exposure to solar radiation resulted in higher proportions of short-chain and saturated fatty acids in milk, primarily because of increased contents of caproic, capric, lauric, myristic and stearic acids (by 3-18%), and decreased contents of oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids (by 2-9%). As a consequence, the long to short chain and the unsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratios were significantly higher by 4 and 13% respectively in the milk of the protected ewes compared with that of the exposed animals. Provision of shade also led to an increase in the 18:0+18:1 to 16:0 ratio, and to a decrease in the 12:0 + 14:0 + 16:0 fatty acid group, which are regarded as reliable indexes of the nutritional property of dietary fat in reducing cholesterol levels in human plasma. Feeding time had little impact on milk fat. Our findings suggest that high ambient temperature may markedly modify the lipid composition of ewe milk and that provision of shade, but not feeding management, can improve the milk fatty acid profile in dairy sheep raised in hot climates.