Recent Biophysical Issues About the Preparation of Solute-Filled Lipid Vesicles

Here we report some recent biophysical issues on the preparation of solute-filled lipid vesicles and their relevance to the construction of “synthetic cells.” First, we introduce the “semi-synthetic minimal cells” as the liposome-based cell-like systems, which contain a minimal number of biomolecules required to display simple and complex biological functions. Next, we focus on recent aspects related to the construction of synthetic cells. Emphasis is given to the interplay between the methods of synthetic cell preparation and the physics of solute encapsulation. We briefly introduce the notion of structural and compositional “diversity” in synthetic cell populations.     

Cheese fortification using saturated monoglyceride self‐assembly structures as carrier of omega‐3 fatty acids

The purpose of this research was to study the capacity of emulsions containing saturated monoglyceride self‐assembly structures to deliver omega‐3 fatty acids in fresh soft cheese. To this aim, fortified emulsions containing different ratios of milk, saturated monoglycerides (MGs) and cod liver oil were added to milk before cheese‐making. These emulsions were characterised by distinct microstructural features observed by polarised light microscopy and apparent viscosity values. The omega‐3 delivery performance of MG emulsions highlighted that this strategy allowed a good retention of the omega‐3‐rich oil in the curd (up to 75%). The fortified cheeses showed yield value and fat content higher than those of control samples. The enriched cheese showed hardness and cohesiveness obtained by texture profile analysis similar to those of the unfortified product. Only a slight decrease in gumminess was detected in fortified cheese.     

Software assurance practices for mobile applications

Mobile software applications have to cope with a particular environment that involves small size, limited resources, high autonomy requirements, competitive business models and many other challenges. To provide development guidelines that respond to these needs, several practices have been introduced; however, it is not clear how these guidelines may contribute to solve the issues present in the mobile domain. Furthermore, the rapid evolution of the mobile ecosystem challenges many of the premises upon which the proposed practices were designed. In this paper, we present a survey of the literature on software assurance practices for mobile applications, with the objective of describing them and assessing their contribution and success. We identified, organized and reviewed a body of research that spans in three levels: software development processes, software product assurance practices, and software implementation practices. By carrying out this literature survey, we reviewed the different approaches that researchers on Software Engineering have provided to address the needs that raise in the mobile software development arena. Moreover, we review the evolution of these practices, identifying how the constant changes and modernization of the mobile execution environment has impacted the methods proposed in the literature. Finally, we introduced discussion on the application of these practices in a real productive setting, opening an area for further research that may determine if practitioners have followed the proposed assurance paradigms.