Most of the calories in cereal foods come from starch. Decreasing starch digestibility is fundamental to prevent obesity and diabetes. This study investigated interactions of condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins-PA) and other sorghum phenolic compounds with starch molecules and their effect on in vitro starch digestibility. High tannin (predominant in large molecular weight PA, 80%), black (monomeric polyphenols) and white (low in polyphenols) sorghum phenolic extracts were cooked with starches varying in amylose content. Starch pasting properties, polyphenol profile and in vitro starch digestibility were evaluated. Unlike other treatments, samples with tannin phenolic extracts had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower setback in the test using a Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA) compared to control. The same treatments had the least extractable phenol and PA contents after cooking with all starches. These evidences suggest interactions between starch molecules and PA. Furthermore, after mixing tannin phenolic extracts with pure amylose/amylopectin, extractable polymeric PA was in much lower concentration (62% less) in presence of amylose compared to amylopectin. This drop in concentration increased to 85% when purified tannin extract (90% polymeric PA) was used. This indicates a stronger interaction between amylose and large molecular weight PA. When high amylose starch was used in an autoclave cooking/cooling technique, the RS content of control (26.4%) was similar (P > 0.05) to samples with black phenolic extracts (27%); samples with tannin phenolic extracts increased RS to about 40%. The RS increased to 46% when purified tannin extract was used. All these evidences suggest that sorghum condensed tannins, specifically the polymeric PA, directly interacted with amylose, increasing RS content, whereas the monomeric polyphenols did not. This study opens opportunities to use tannin sorghum to develop products for diabetics and weight control, high in dietary fiber and natural dark color. In the other part of this project, polyphenols from black and tannin sorghum bran were extracted using an Accelerated Solvent Extractor (ASE) and eco-friendly solvents such as water, and mixtures ethanol/water. ASE at 120 and 150 degrees C using 50 and 70% ethanol/water was efficient in extracting as much phenols (45 mg GAE/g) and 12% more antioxidants (628 μmol TE/g) from black sorghum compared to conventional methods using aqueous acetone and acidified methanol. Therefore, ASE extracts from black sorghum could be used in beverages and in colorants containing high antioxidant content.

Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is an endoparasitoid and potential biological control agent of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), an agricultural pest. The first objective of the following research was to amend current larval life history descriptions of M. croceipes. Larval head capsule width measurements were used to distinguish instar, and exuvium in abdominal cavities of post-egression hosts were indicative of a molt during parasitoid egression. Data revealed the larvae of M. croceipes pass through five instars, rather than three, as is indicated in the literature. The second objective was to investigate the suitability of potential artificial diets to be used in in vitro rearing of M. croceipes larvae. Three concentrations each of glucose, trehalose, and protein, as well as a combination diet (derived from initial diet trials) were tested. Growth, molting, and death were noted for each diet, and data indicated that diet had a significant effect for each performance measure (p = 0.0000, p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, respectively). Data also indicated that trehalose and protein were more vital to larval parasitoid development (growth and molting) than was glucose, but no larvae were reared passed the second instar on an artificial diet. The final goals of the research were to evaluate the plausibility of rearing M. croceipes larvae to adulthood in vitro and to investigate post-egression host defensive behavior. Larvae were dissected from their hosts just prior to egression and placed in a cell culture plate in previously collected host hemolymph. Larvae were able to initiate pre-egression behavior in an in vitro environment, and a small percentage (6.67%) exhibited ecdysial splitting of the cuticle, however, no larvae were able to make the final molt in vitro. Post-egression hosts exhibited defensive behavior that may suggest they play a role in protecting pupating parasitoids. When the parasitoid exuvium was pulled from the egression wound in the host, hemolymph loss occurred and duration of the defensive behavior significantly decreased (p < 0.0001), indicating the exuvium acted to plug the egression wound, which prevented the host from bleeding to death and made it possible for the host to exhibit defensive behavior.

The generation of high affinity, selective, and in vivo-stable peptide-based drugs is currently a major challenge in the field of drug development. Technologies exist that permit the generation of a vast diversity of chemical and conformational space and an example of such a technology is mRNA display, which utilizes protein translation machinery to produce a wide array of polypeptides starting from a combinatorial library of mRNA templates. The intention of this research was to bridge mRNA display to a reconstituted translation system using protein synthesis using recombinant elements (PURE) system for a new drug discovery platform. We hypothesized that it is possible to generate mRNA-peptidomimetic fusions using reconstituted translation system and chemo-enzymatically charged tRNAs, to incorporate unnatural amino acids into mRNA-peptidomimetic fusions. Upon demonstating that the reconstituted system was functional, we have synthesized hexapeptide fusion products containing four alanine residues and one biocytin residue. Fusions were assayed using urea-PAGE in the presence of streptavidin which allowed for unambiguous evaluation of the full length fusion fraction. It was determined that overall more fusion product was generated with template that codes for biocytin early in the coding sequence, but that the percent of biocytin-containing product stays similar regardless of the biocytin place in the coding region. We have also found that the change in template untranslated region length does not improve incorporation of biocytin in dipeptide fusions within the tested range. Finally, after first unsuccessful attempts to make sarcosine hexapeptide fusions, we investigated the effect of magnesium ion concentration on the translation reaction. As a result of four series of experiments performed involving both alanine and sarcosine fusion synthesis in parallel, we concluded that an increase in magnesium concentration from 5 mM to 20 mM coincided with enabling of the reconstituted system in making hexapeptide fusions with sarcosine in a significantly high number of cases. This research work arises from the need to enable a new drug discovery tool that will allow both synthesis and affinity maturation of peptide-based compounds. It represents our pioneering efforts to develop a new technology and ultimately help bring to existence compounds of significant therapeutic value.

The aim of this project was to study the in vitro release of cephalothin, vancomycin and strontium from hydroxyapatite particles and its PMMA composite. The hydroxyapatite spheres containing strontium were prepared in the laboratory. The in vitro release study for the hydroxyapatite was carried out in phosphate buffer saline solution (PBS) with differing pH value at 37 °C for five days and the PMMA composites for 21 days. All of the releases showed a burst release within the first 24 hours followed by a slow release. The pH value of the release medium had influence on the release rate to some extent for the antibiotic release and the acidic solution had a more significant impact on the strontium release. All of the composite groups had a much lower strontium release rate than the strontium release from the hydroxyapatite spheres.

This thesis proposes a multi-parameter implantable micro-stimulator system. By using wireless communication and the muli-parameter control, the infection caused by the wound could be avoided and various stimulation waveforms could be generated for different bio-medical applications. Besides, a graphic user interface (GUI) is implemented for the proposed micro-stimulator for the convenience of usage. Moreover, the in vitro experiments are carried out, where the neurons could be stimulated successfully. To reduce the system area caused by external capacitors required by traditional ASK demodulators, a C-less ASK demodulator is proposed in this thesis. A bias-based envelope detector and a Schmitt trigger are used for demodulation. Moreover, by enlarging the noise margin of the envelope detector, an all-MOS ASK demodulator is carried out such that no passive element is needed and the system area could be further reduced. Besides, two high sensitivity voltage-to-frequency (VFC) are proposed for the full duplex transmission. By using a voltage-to-current converter, a charge and discharge circuit, and an all-MOS voltage window comparator 1 (VWC1), a high sensitivity VFC1 is accomplished. Moreover, a linear VFC2 is also proposed by including a fast all-MOS voltage window comparator, VWC2. Finally, a wide range I/O buffer is proposed for the interface of the implantable micro-stimulator system. With the stacked PMOS and NMOS output stage and the dynamic gate bias generator, high voltage and low voltage signals (VDDH and VDDL) could be transmitted and received without any gate-oxide overstress and leakage currents.

Thèse d'exercice : Pharmacie : Université de Nantes : 2003. / Bibliogr. f. 74-76 [36 réf.].

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Medicine / Master / Doctor of Medicine

Field performance of micropropagated (MP) and conventionally propagated (CP) red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L. cv. Comet and Festival) was examined under hedgerow and stool cane management systems for 3 seasons (1989 to 1991). All MP plants established well compared to 58% survival rates 45 days after planting and 92% survival rates after replanting for CP plants. The MP plants were more vigorous compared with the CP plants for the duration of this study as indicated by more and taller canes. MP 'Festival' in 1990 yielded 2.2 MT$ cdot$ha$ sp{-1}$, almost half the yield of established commercial plantings in Quebec, while yields from CP 'Festival' and MP and CP 'Comet' were negligible. The MP 'Festival' crop (8.42 MT$ cdot$ha$ sp{-1}$) also outyielded CP 'Festival' (6.8 MT$ cdot$ha$ sp{-1}$) and both MP (5.72 MT$ cdot$ha$ sp{-1}$) and CP (4.91 MT$ cdot$ha$ sp{-1}$) 'Comet' in the second fruiting year. Propagation method had no effects on winter hardiness, photosynthetic capacity nor leaf and stem morphology of either cultivar. The results indicated that MP plants were superior to CP plants for both nursery propagation and fruit production due to their more consistent establishment and increased vigor. Red raspberry plantlets were successfully hardened in vitro on low-sucrose or sucrose-free media through CO$ sb{2}$ enrichment (1500 ppm) and relative humidity reduction (90%) using a forced ventilation system in specially constructed plexiglass chambers. Enriched CO$ sb{2}$ significantly increased general vigor, root formation, root growth, plantlet growth and plantlet photosynthetic capacities. Sucrose in the medium promoted plantlet growth but depressed photosynthesis. In vitro relative humidity at 90% decreased stomatal apertures and improved plantlet ex vitro performance but did not affect the CO$ sb{2}$ uptake rates of cultured plantlets or ex vitro transplants. The maximum CO$ sb{2}$ uptake rates of plantlet leaves were about 52-69% that of greenhouse control pla

The generation of high affinity, selective, and in vivo-stable peptide-based drugs is currently a major challenge in the field of drug development. Technologies exist that permit the generation of a vast diversity of chemical and conformational space and an example of such a technology is mRNA display, which utilizes protein translation machinery to produce a wide array of polypeptides starting from a combinatorial library of mRNA templates. The intention of this research was to bridge mRNA display to a reconstituted translation system using protein synthesis using recombinant elements (PURE) system for a new drug discovery platform. We hypothesized that it is possible to generate mRNA-peptidomimetic fusions using reconstituted translation system and chemo-enzymatically charged tRNAs, to incorporate unnatural amino acids into mRNA-peptidomimetic fusions. Upon demonstating that the reconstituted system was functional, we have synthesized hexapeptide fusion products containing four alanine residues and one biocytin residue. Fusions were assayed using urea-PAGE in the presence of streptavidin which allowed for unambiguous evaluation of the full length fusion fraction. It was determined that overall more fusion product was generated with template that codes for biocytin early in the coding sequence, but that the percent of biocytin-containing product stays similar regardless of the biocytin place in the coding region. We have also found that the change in template untranslated region length does not improve incorporation of biocytin in dipeptide fusions within the tested range. Finally, after first unsuccessful attempts to make sarcosine hexapeptide fusions, we investigated the effect of magnesium ion concentration on the translation reaction. As a result of four series of experiments performed involving both alanine and sarcosine fusion synthesis in parallel, we concluded that an increase in magnesium concentration from 5 mM to 20 mM coincided with enabling of the reconstituted system in making hexapeptide fusions with sarcosine in a significantly high number of cases. This research work arises from the need to enable a new drug discovery tool that will allow both synthesis and affinity maturation of peptide-based compounds. It represents our pioneering efforts to develop a new technology and ultimately help bring to existence compounds of significant therapeutic value.

No description available.