Chemical properties and antiulcerogenic activity of a galactomannoglucan from Syagrus oleracea

A galactomannoglucan (GMG) with an estimated weight–average molar mass of 415,000 g/mol was obtained from an aqueous extract of the mesocarp of fruits of Syagrus oleracea (Mart.) Becc. by fractionation by Sephacryl S-300 HR and Sephadex G-25. Chemical and spectroscopic studies indicated that GMG has a chain of (1 → 4)-linked β-d-mannopyranosyl residues attached to an initial chain of (1 → 3)-linked β-d-galactopyranosyl residues and a terminal chain of (1 → 4)-linked α-d-glucopyranosyl residues which comprised galactose, mannose and glucose in the molar ratio of 30:33:37. Results of the present study indicated that the polysaccharide GMG of S. oleracea significantly inhibited gastric lesions induced by ethanol, showing a gastroprotective property.     

Electrochemical treatment of the effluent of a fine chemical manufacturing plant

In this work, the electrochemical oxidation of an actual industrial wastewater with conductive-diamond anodes has been studied. The wastewater is the effluent of a fine chemicals plant. This effluent consists of an aqueous solution of solvents (ketones and alcohols) with a high concentration of aromatic compounds coming from the raw materials, intermediates and products of the different processes of the plant and its COD is around 6000 mg dm(-3). The electrolyses were carried out in a discontinuous operation mode under galvanostatic conditions, using a bench-scale plant equipped with a single compartment electrochemical flow cell. The conductive-diamond electrochemical oxidation (CDEO) allowed achieving the complete mineralization of the waste with high current efficiencies. These efficiencies seem to strongly depend on the concentration, pH and temperature but not on the current density (in the range studied). This confirms that besides the hydroxyl radicals mediated oxidation, CDEO combines other important oxidation processes such as the direct electrooxidation on the diamond surface and the oxidation mediated by other electrochemically formed compounds generated on this electrode. Other two advanced oxidation processes (ozonation and Fenton oxidation) have been also studied in this work for comparison purposes. Both technologies were able to treat the wastes, but they obtained very different results in terms of efficiency and mineralization. The efficiency of ozonation and electrochemical oxidation were very similar (especially during the first stages), although the energy consumption required by the electrochemical process to remove at fixed percentage of COD or TOC was significantly smaller than that of ozonation. The possible accumulation of carboxylic acid as final products excludes the use of Fenton oxidation as a sole treatment technology.     

Validation of the performance of a GMO multiplex screening assay based on microarray detection

A new screening method for the detection and identification of GMO, based on the use of multiplex PCR followed by microarray, has been developed and is presented. The technology is based on the identification of quite ubiquitous GMO genetic target elements first amplified by PCR, followed by direct hybridisation of the amplicons on a predefined microarray (DualChip^® GMO, Eppendorf, Germany). The validation was performed within the framework of a European project (Co-Extra, contract no 007158) and in collaboration with 12 laboratories specialised in GMO detection. The present study reports the strategy and the results of an ISO complying validation of the method carried out through an inter-laboratory study. Sets of blind samples were provided consisting of DNA reference materials covering all the elements detectable by specific probes present on the array. The GMO concentrations varied from 1% down to 0.045%. In addition, a mixture of two GMO events (0.1% RRS diluted in 100% TOPAS19/2) was incorporated in the study to test the robustness of the assay in extreme conditions. Data were processed according to ISO 5725 standard. The method was evaluated with predefined performance criteria with respect to the EC CRL method acceptance criteria. The overall method performance met the acceptance criteria; in particular, the results showed that the method is suitable for the detection of the different target elements at 0.1% concentration of GMO with a 95% accuracy rate. This collaborative trial showed that the method can be considered as fit for the purpose of screening with respect to its intra- and inter-laboratory accuracy. The results demonstrated the validity of combining multiplex PCR with array detection as provided by the DualChip^® GMO (Eppendorf, Germany) for the screening of GMO. The results showed that the technology is robust, practical and suitable as a screening tool.     

Residents’ evaluation of advantages and disadvantages of golf community living in Alicante,Spain

The growing numbers of golf communities are attracting a diverse group of homebuyers who experience varying levels of neighborhood satisfaction. A multinomial logistic regression analysis with follow-up ANOVA reveals that homeowners in one region of Spain who believe there are more advantages than disadvantages to living in a golf community are more likely to be older, Spanish, and evaluate the natural environment, sports facilities, and water supply of their community as better. Meanwhile, those who perceive more disadvantages cite the limitations on using the golf course for non-golf activities, high housing costs, automobile dependence, and lack of services and shops. Thus, satisfaction with the golf community varies depending on the residents’ personal characteristics as well as their evaluation of the neighborhood’s characteristics, but is not directly attributable to whether they play golf or whether the course was a decisive factor in choosing the house.     

Twenty‐five years of the Information Systems Journal: A bibliometric and ontological overview

The Information Systems Journal (ISJ) published its first issue in 1991, and in 2015, the journal celebrated its 25th anniversary. This study presents an overview of the leading research trends in the papers that the journal has published during its first quarter of a century via a bibliometric and ontological analysis. From a bibliometric perspective, the analysis considers the publication and citation structure of the journal. The study then develops a graphical analysis of the bibliographic material by using visualization of similarities software that employs bibliographic coupling and cocitation analysis. The work produces an ontological framework of impact and analyses the journal papers to assess qualitatively ISJ's impact. The results indicate that the journal has grown significantly over time and is now recognized as one of the leading journals in information systems. Yet challenges remain if the journal is to meet its aims in impacting and setting the agenda for the development of the Information Systems field.     

Optimisation of thin-walled hybrid vertical struts for crashworthy aircraft designs

Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization - This research concerns the crashworthiness enhancement of a model of a Boeing 737-200 fuselage section. Using a validated numerical specimen, four...     

Structural and Catalytic Studies of a Trimethyltin Vanadate Coordination Polymer

The organotin vanadate [Me₃SnVO₃] (1) has been prepared and characterised in the solid state by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis, multinuclear magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR, IR and Raman spectroscopy. The phase purity and structure of microcrystalline 1 were confirmed by carrying out a full Rietveld structural refinement at ambient temperature and from conventional powder XRD. ⁵¹V and ¹¹⁹Sn MAS NMR data for compound 1 were in agreement with the predicted structure, showing two equally-abundant, nonequivalent Me₃Sn groups and two equally-abundant, nonequivalent vanadium atoms. The compound was applied as a catalyst for the liquid-phase epoxidation of olefins at 55 °C using tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBuOOH) as the oxidant. The reaction rate for the different substrates followed the order cis-cyclooctene > (R)-(+)-limonene ≅ trans-2-octene > cyclododecene > styrene > 1-octene; the corresponding epoxides were the only observed products. Leaching tests indicated that the catalytic epoxidation of cyclooctene was mainly heterogeneous in nature. This paper is dedicated to Professor Ian Manners and his scientific accomplishments.     

Effect of irrigation applied to olive trees (Olea europaea L.) on phenolic compound transfer during olive oil extraction

The main objective of this research was to determine the extent to which irrigation practices affect the partitioning of phenolic compounds between olive paste, pomace, olive oil and wastewater. The current paper also aimed to study the effect of technological natural micro‐talc (NMT) addition during the oil extraction process on the partitioning of the phenolic compounds between solid and liquid phases. The results obtained in this study showed that irrigation applied to olive trees let to a considerable decrease in the phenol content of the olive paste. The water status of the trees affected the phenol synthesis in the olive fruit, and consequently the phenol content of the olive paste, more than the partitioning of the phenolic compounds during the olive oil extraction process. The most remarkable point of the phenol partitioning was related to the simple phenols. While in the samples from non‐irrigated trees the greater proportion of these phenols partitioned into the pomace, in samples from irrigated trees most of them were lost in the wastewater. After comparison of the results obtained from the experiments with and without NMT addition, it was concluded that the use of that co‐adjuvant did not significantly alter either the phenolic profile of the oil phase obtained or the content of the individual phenolic compounds.