Innovation in Tigernut ( L.) Milk Production: In Situ Hydrolysis of Starch.

Tigernut tubers () are used for the production of vegetable milk, commonly known as "Horchata de chufa" in Spain. The presence of starch in the tuber limits the yield of the milk, since this carbohydrate gelatinizes during the pasteurization of the milk and leads to the considerable solidification of this drink. The present work aims to improve the yields and extraction practice of the milk by an in situ hydrolysis of starch, using exogenous amylases of industrial or vegetable origin.

Causal analyses to study autonomic regulation during acute head-out water immersion, head-down tilt and supine position.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Can Granger causality analysis of R-R intervals, systolic blood pressure and respiration provide evidence for the different physiological mechanisms induced during thermoneutral water immersion, 6 deg head-down tilt and supine position tests that are not accessible using traditional heart rate variability and baroreflex methods? What is the main finding and its importance? The Granger analysis demonstrated a significant difference in the causal link from R-R intervals to respiration between water immersion and head-down tilt. The underlying physiological mechanism explaining this difference could be the variation in peripheral resistances.

Abstract: Thermoneutral head-out water immersion (WI) and 6 deg head-down tilt (HDT) are used to simulate SCUBA diving, swimming and microgravity, because these models induce an increase in central blood volume.

A glance into the evolution of template-free protein structure prediction methodologies.

Prediction of protein structures using computational approaches has been explored for over two decades, paving a way for more focused research and development of algorithms in comparative modelling, ab intio modelling and structure refinement protocols. A tremendous success has been witnessed in template-based modelling protocols, whereas strategies that involve template-free modelling still lag behind, specifically for larger proteins (>150 a.a.

Stability of reaching during standing in stroke.

Reaching from standing requires simultaneous adjustments of focal and postural task elements. We investigated the ability of people with stroke to stabilize the endpoint trajectory while maintaining balance during standing reaches. Nineteen stroke and 11 age-equivalent healthy subjects reached toward a target ( = 30 trials) located beyond arm length from standing.

Field assessment of 4-hydroxycoumarin as an attractant for anthropophilic Anopheles spp. vectors of malaria in Madagascar.

Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria are a major public health problem in tropical countries, such as Madagascar. Female Anopheles mosquito vectors the human malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.) and is important indicator in malaria surveillance activities.

Autonomic Cardiac Reactivity to Painful Procedures Under Hypnosis in Pediatric Emergencies: A Feasibility Study.

Pain sensation is characterized by abrupt changes in central nervous system activity producing autonomic reactivity. While clinical hypnosis has demonstrated its benefits for children in pain management, it is not clear whether hypnosis modulated autonomic pain response in children in clinical conditions. Here, we studied autonomic responses under hypnosis to sutures in pediatric emergencies.

Autonomic cardiovascular adaptations to acute head-out water immersion, head-down tilt and supine position.

Purpose: Thermoneutral head-out water immersion (WI) and 6° head-down tilt (HDT) have been considered as suitable models to increase central blood volume and simulate autonomic cardiovascular adaptations to microgravity, swimming or scuba diving. However, any differences in autonomic cardiovascular adaptations are still unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that WI induces a higher activation of arterial baroreceptors and the parasympathetic system.

Modeling the emergence of migratory corridors and foraging hot spots of the green sea turtle.

Environmental factors shape the spatial distribution and dynamics of populations. Understanding how these factors interact with movement behavior is critical for efficient conservation, in particular for migratory species. Adult female green sea turtles, , migrate between foraging and nesting sites that are generally separated by thousands of kilometers.

Structural variations within proteins can be as large as variations observed across their homologues.

Understanding the structural plasticity of proteins is key to understanding the intricacies of their functions and mechanistic basis. In the current study, we analyzed the available multiple crystal structures of the same protein for the structural differences. For this purpose we used an abstraction of protein structures referred as Protein Blocks (PBs) that was previously established.

Algorithmic Probability Method Versus Kolmogorov Complexity with No-Threshold Encoding Scheme for Short Time Series: An Analysis of Day-To-Day Hourly Solar Radiation Time Series over Tropical Western Indian Ocean.

The complexity of solar radiation fluctuations received on the ground is nowadays of great interest for solar resource in the context of climate change and sustainable development. Over tropical maritime area, there are small inhabited islands for which the prediction of the solar resource at the daily and infra-daily time scales are important to optimize their solar energy systems. Recently, studies show that the theory of the information is a promising way to measure the solar radiation intermittency.

Association between insomnia disorder and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults: a cross-sectional analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Objectives: This study examined the differences in cognitive function between middle-aged and older adults with insomnia disorder, insomnia symptoms only (ISO) or no insomnia symptoms (NIS), in the context of other health and lifestyle factors.

Methods: Twenty-eight thousand four hundred eighty-five participants >45 years completed questionnaires, physical examinations, and neuropsychological testing across domains of processing speed, memory, and executive functions. An eight-question instrument assessed participants' sleep, defining subjects with insomnia symptoms, probable insomnia disorder (PID), or NIS.

Flux prediction using artificial neural network (ANN) for the upper part of glycolysis.

The selection of optimal enzyme concentration in multienzyme cascade reactions for the highest product yield in practice is very expensive and time-consuming process. The modelling of biological pathways is a difficult process because of the complexity of the system. The mathematical modelling of the system using an analytical approach depends on the many parameters of enzymes which rely on tedious and expensive experiments.

How the insula speaks to the heart: Cardiac responses to insular stimulation in humans.

Despite numerous studies suggesting the role of insular cortex in the control of autonomic activity, the exact location of cardiac motor regions remains controversial. We provide here a functional mapping of autonomic cardiac responses to intracortical stimulations of the human insula. The cardiac effects of 100 insular electrical stimulations into 47 epileptic patients were divided into tachycardia, bradycardia, and no cardiac response according to the magnitude of RR interval (RRI) reactivity.

ATPe Dynamics in Protozoan Parasites. Adapt or Perish.

In most animals, transient increases of extracellular ATP (ATPe) are used for physiological signaling or as a danger signal in pathological conditions. ATPe dynamics are controlled by ATP release from viable cells and cell lysis, ATPe degradation and interconversion by ecto-nucleotidases, and interaction of ATPe and byproducts with cell surface purinergic receptors and purine salvage mechanisms. Infection by protozoan parasites may alter at least one of the mechanisms controlling ATPe concentration.

Spatial and Temporal Non-Linear Dynamics Analysis and Predictability of Solar Radiation Time Series for La Reunion Island (France).

Analysis of daily solar irradiation variability and predictability in space and time is important for energy resources planning, development, and management. The natural intermittency of solar irradiation is mainly triggered by atmospheric turbulent conditions, radiative transfer, optical properties of cloud and aerosol, moisture and atmospheric stability, orographic and thermal forcing, which introduce additional complexity into the phenomenological records. To address this question for daily solar irradiation data recorded during the period 2011-2015, at 32 stations measuring solar irradiance on La Reunion French tropical Indian Ocean Island, we use the tools of non-linear dynamics: the intermittency and chaos analysis, the largest Lyapunov exponent, Sample entropy, the Kolmogorov complexity and its derivatives (Kolmogorov complexity spectrum and its highest value), and spatial weighted Kolmogorov complexity combined with Hamming distance to assess complexity and corresponding predictability.

Effect of type 2 diabetes on energy cost and preferred speed of walking.

Purpose: Although walking is the most commonly recommended activity for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), these patients walk daily less than their healthy peers and adopt a lower self-selected speed. It has been suggested that gait alterations observed in this population could be responsible for a higher metabolic rate (MR) during walking. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare relationship between MR, the energy cost of walking per unit of distance (Cw) and self-selected walking speed in T2D patients and healthy individuals.

Analysis of Solar Irradiation Time Series Complexity and Predictability by Combining Kolmogorov Measures and Hamming Distance for La Reunion (France).

Analysis of daily solar irradiation variability and predictability in space and time is important for energy resources planning, development, and management. The natural variability of solar irradiation is being complicated by atmospheric conditions (in particular cloudiness) and orography, which introduce additional complexity into the phenomenological records. To address this question for daily solar irradiation data recorded during the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 at 11 stations measuring solar irradiance on La Reunion French tropical Indian Ocean Island, we use a set of novel quantitative tools: Kolmogorov complexity () with its derivative associated measures and Hamming distance () and their combination to assess complexity and corresponding predictability.

Kinetics of plasma apolipoprotein E isoforms by LC-MS/MS: a pilot study.

Human apoE exhibits three major isoforms (apoE2, apoE3, and apoE4) corresponding to polymorphism in the gene. Total plasma apoE concentrations are closely related to these isoforms, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We aimed to describe the kinetics of apoE individual isoforms to explore the mechanisms for variable total apoE plasma concentrations.

Validation of a method for estimating energy expenditure during walking in middle-aged adults.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the validity of a method using an inertial measurement unit for estimating activity-related energy expenditure (AEE) during walking in middle-aged adults.

Methods: Twenty healthy middle-aged participants completed different treadmill walking trials with an inertial measurement unit adhered to their lower back. Gas exchange was monitored with indirect calorimetry.

Evolutionary dynamism in bryophytes: Phylogenomic inferences confirm rapid radiation in the moss family Funariaceae.

Rapid diversifications of plants are primarily documented and studied in angiosperms, which are perceived as evolutionarily dynamic. Recent studies have, however, revealed that bryophytes have also undergone periods of rapid radiation. The speciose family Funariaceae, including the model taxon Physcomitrella patens, is one such lineage.

Stable Isotope Kinetic Study of ApoM (Apolipoprotein M).

Objective: ApoM (apolipoprotein M) binds primarily to high-density lipoprotein before to be exchanged with apoB (apolipoprotein B)-containing lipoproteins. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-mediated clearance of apoB-containing particles could influence plasma apoM kinetics and decrease its antiatherogenic properties. In humans, we aimed to describe the interaction of apoM kinetics with other components of lipid metabolism to better define its potential benefit on atherosclerosis.

Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor-1 Controls Mitochondrial Respiration in Renal Tubular Cells.

AKI is a frequent condition that involves renal microcirculation impairment, infiltration of inflammatory cells with local production of proinflammatory cytokines, and subsequent epithelial disorders and mitochondrial dysfunction. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor coactivator 1- (PPARGC1A), a coactivator of the transcription factor PPAR- that controls mitochondrial biogenesis and function, has a pivotal role in the early dysfunction of the proximal tubule and the subsequent renal repair. Here, we evaluated the potential role of hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 (HNF-1) in regulating PPARGC1A expression in AKI.

Anopheles fauna of coastal Cayenne, French Guiana: modelling and mapping of species presence using remotely sensed land cover data.

Little is known about the Anopheles species of the coastal areas of French Guiana, or their spatiotemporal distribution or environmental determinants. The present study aimed to (1) document the distribution of Anopheles fauna in the coastal area around Cayenne, and (2) investigate the use of remotely sensed land cover data as proxies of Anopheles presence. To characterise the Anopheles fauna, we combined the findings of two entomological surveys that were conducted during the period 2007-2009 and in 2014 at 37 sites.