The study of proteotomic profile of mutton with consideration to the influence of feed combinatorics

The present article is devoted to the search for markers that attest the changes in the protein profile when fattening the lambs with enriched diets, taking into account tissue specificity. The purpose of scientific research was to expand scientific knowledge about the influence of essential trace elements of organic origin in the diet of lambs on the marker-proteins of skeletal muscle tissue, of myocardium and renal cortical substance. The objects of research were the tissues of the m.L.dorsi skeletal muscle, myocardium and cortical substance of the kidneys in lambs of the Edilbaev breed. These lambs received a diet with organic trace elements (iodine, selenium, silicon). To study the effect of microelements in the diets of lambs on change in marker-proteins, we ran the studies of the skeletal muscle, myocardium and cortical substance of the kidneys of lambs, using the method of two-dimensional electrophoresis. When searching for proteins which mark the action of organic additives in the fattening diet of lambs within the tissue of the myocardium and the cortical substance of the kidneys, a number of differences were noted; no pronounced effects were observed in the skeletal muscle. Enrichment of the diet of lambs with selenium derivatives led to a change in the protein composition in the kidneys cortical substance for some isoforms of selenium-containing proteins and related enzymes of the glutathione cycle. Reaction in this process of thermal shock proteins, utilization of aflatoxins and changes in proteins of energy metabolism within mitochondria of kidney cells was also revealed. The determination of functional activity, or immunofermental analysis of glutathione peroxidase 3 count in the blood, can be a promising biomarker for controlling the level of selenium digestion and the count of selenium in blood as a more rapid and cheap method in comparison with the proteomic technologies. And for assessing the rate of digestion and fixation of iodine, it seems promising to determine it via the activity of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase [Mn]. In the myocardium, the effect of digested feed additives mainly affected the mitochondrial apparatus, which changed its functional orientation, with the activation of several other metabolic cycles. These results are prerequisites for obtaining more fundamental data on the effect of diets enriched with essential micronutrients on the molecular mechanisms that take place within the myocardial and kidney tissue of lambs. New data have been obtained on the effect of diets enriched with essential microelements on the molecular mechanisms occurring in the myocardial tissue and cortical substance of the kidneys of goats and sheep. The research results obtained by proteomics methods will be used for modeling and targeted adjustment of diets in order to obtain raw materials with the necessary technological characteristics

Use of iodine and selenium enriched fodder rations for production of fortified young lamb

The article is devoted to preventive measures to eliminate the problem of dysmicroelementosis in order to increase the productivity of young sheep. The article presents the results of studies of the influence of feeding rations on the growth and development of young sheep of the Edilbaev breed, on the level of their meat productivity and the qualitative characteristics of biologically fortified lamb. Feed additives based on Yoddar-Zn and DAFS-25 were added to the main ration of lambs at the age of four months, once a day, being added into a fodder mixture with concentrates. For the experiment the herd of lambs was divided to four groups of 25 heads each.The changes in live weight at the age of four, five, six and seven months were analyzed, and it was found that at the age of seven months, the absolute average weight gain in the experimental groups varied from 3.45 kg to 4.49 kg, in the control group it was 3.1 kg, while the largest live weight gain was recorded in group III which received both feed additives based on Yoddar-Zn and DAFS-25.There were no significant differences in the parameters of body measurements, with the exception of group III, where the chest circumference increased by 7.2%, and the height of a lamb at the withers increased in average by 8.1%. It was found that group III had the highest meat density coefficient, equal to 3.9, and the cross-sectional area of m. Longissimus dorsi was equal to 13.61 cm2. It was noted that the amount of free amino acids of the lamb group III is 18.8% higher than the meat of the control group. The lamb obtained from the animals of the experimental groups showed a higher protein content and less fat. The ratio of water to protein in all samples was slightly higher than 3.7, which corresponds to the Federa number for meat raw materials. Enriching the rations of the Edilbaevskoy sheep with feed additives Yoddar-Zn and DAFS-25 promotes the stimulation of growth and development of animals, increases the productivity and nutritional value of lamb

Eco-physiological responses and biochemical characterization of different accessions of Corchorus olitorius (L.)

Corchorus olitorius (L.) is one of the main crops for fibre production, cultivated in tropical and subtropical environments, from Africa to Japan, across the Middle East and India. In developing countries, the leaves are used as a medicine and also as food. In this study, we evaluated the physiological responses of nine accessions of C. olitorius in order to nominate the most suitable one for introduction into southern Europe. African and Asian accessions obtained from the Leibniz Institute IPK gene bank were analysed for their photosynthetic variables and quality traits during cultivation. Accessions from Africa, in particular those from Egypt and Libya, showed higher intrinsic water-use efficiency. However, at high temperatures, the Japanese accession also showed a high level of water-use efficiency, as evidenced by the high carbon fixation rate. Chinese and Indian accessions showed a reduction in growth performance, although a high concentration of antioxidants in the leaves and biomass accumulation have been reported in those accessions. C. olitorius demonstrated an intrinsic attitude to adaptation; according to their subtropical origin, all of the plants grew at sub-optimal status (Fv/Fm). These data, however, do not seem to compromise the potential of these plants as a crop for growing in southern Europe. Moreover, their introduction can be based solely on their biochemical quality traits

Postharvest behavior of Corchorus olitorius (L.) as an innovative baby leaf vegetable for the ready to eat industry

The plant C. olitorius is consider a traditional vegetable in many developing countries and it is cultivated for its potential benefits for human health. The identification of new, potentially high quality leafy vegetables has been promoted by fresh cut industries, which are involved in the processing and commercialization of ready-to-eat food. Thus, the storage of baby leaf of C. olitorius has been studied at 4 \ub0C in darkness in order to promote its commercialization in Europe. Baby leaf were hydroponically cultivated in two different solutions: standard (100%) and halved (50%) during different seasons (spring, summer, autumn) in order to evaluate interactions between the nutrient solutions and quality retain during storage. Several quality traits: sucrose, total and reducing sugars, nitrate, phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, chlorophylls, and carotenoids were analysed during ten days of storage. Results showed that chlorophylls decreased by 20-30% for both nutrient solutions and carotenoid content did not change until the end of the storage and values ranged from 0.60 to 0.75 g kg-1 fresh weight depending on the season. Phenols and anthocyanins decreased within ten days: -40% of phenols and -50% of anthocyanins, respectively. However, no interaction between nutrient solutions and storage behaviour was reported. Moreover, results demonstrated that halved nutrient solution did not negatively affect postharvest performance of this vegetable. Therefore, the reduced nutrient solution can be advised for the reduction of fertilizer input during cultivation and allow the re-use of the nutrient solution for multiple cycles. Moreover, the storage at 4\ub0C preserved the most important quality factors such as chlorophyll, carotenoid and sucrose. Thus, C. olitorius resulted to be a good source of nutraceutical compounds, proving to be ready to be commercialised as baby leaf in RTE market

The mysterious eruption of V838 Mon

V838 Mon is marking one of the most mysterious stellar outbursts on record. The spectral energy distribution of the progenitor resembles an under-luminous F main sequence star (at V=15.6 mag), that erupted into a cool supergiant following a complex and multi-maxima lightcurve (peaking at V=6.7 mag). The outburst spectrum show BaII, LiI and lines of several s-elements, with wide P-Cyg profiles and a moderate and retracing emission in the Balmer lines. A light-echo discovered expanding around the object helped to constrain the distance (d=790+/-30 pc), providing M_V=+4.45 in quiescence and M_V=-4.35 at optical maximum (somewhat dependent on the still uncertain E(B-V)=0.5 reddening). The general outburst trend is toward lower temperatures and larger luminosities, and continuing so at the time of writing. The object properties conflict with a classification within already existing categories: the progenitor was not on a post-AGB track and thus the similarities with the born-again AGB stars FG Sge, V605 Aql and Sakurai's object are limited to the cool giant spectrum at maximum; the cool spectrum, the moderate wind velocity (500 km/sec and progressively reducing) and the monotonic decreasing of the low ionization condition argues against a classical nova scenario. The closest similarity is with a star that erupted into an M-type supergiant discovered in M31 by Rich et al. (1989), that became however much brighter by peaking at M_V=-9.95, and with V4332 Sgr that too erupted into an M-type giant (Martini et al. 1999) and that attained a lower luminosity, closer to that of V838 Mon. M31-RedVar, V4332 Sgr and V838 Mon could be manifestations of the same and new class of astronomical objects.Comment: A&A, in pres

Life Cycle Assessment of Alkali Activated Cement compared to Ordinary Portland Cement

Approximately 8% of the global emissions of CO2 are originated by the cement industry, which consumes on average between 4 to 6 GJ per ton of cement. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is the most used cement for construction purposes. Every year, around 4 billion tonnes (Gt) of OPC are manufactured. For each kg of OPC produced, 0.81 kg of CO2 is generated. Therefore, seeking cements with more environmentally friendly manufacturing process, economically viable, and socially relevant is necessary. One of the most promising materials are the Alkali-Activated Cements (AAC), where its components are an aluminosilicate precursor and alkaline activators. The precursor used in this study is Weathered Bottom Ash (WBA), a waste obtained from the Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI). On the other hand, the alkaline activators are sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3). The name of the AAC developed is Sustainable-AAC (Sust-AAC). This project is focused on searching for new materials that could reduce the use of OPC as a building material. To be able to assess the associated environmental impacts, a comparison between AAC and OPC (CEM I) through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) following the standards ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006 is performed. The LCA methodology allows identification and quantification of relevant inputs and outputs of the system, thus, evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated. The system boundary of this project is cradle-to-gate and the functional unit of the assessment is 1 ton of commercial cement. The OPC inventory is carried out through the values obtained in GaBi Software and the Sust-AAC inventory is made from the previous studies performed in the DIOPMA research group, on a laboratory scale. The results show that the OPC has higher impact on global warming, energy consumption, water consumption, and mineral extraction categories compared to Sust-AAC. In OPC manufacturing, the kiln stage is the most energy intensive stage (by the chemical reaction and by the fossil fuel requirement) and therefore, has the most significant environmental impact in terms of CO2 emissions and energy consumption. In contrast, the highest environmental impacts on the Sust-AAC are due to the production of Na2SiO3. The main reason for the energysaving is because Sust-AAC production does not need a kiln with high temperatures. In addition, the use of waste as raw material promotes a circular economy and, at the same time, reduces the extraction of natural resources. Then, the environmental performance in the Sust-AAC is promising compared to OPC. Sust-AAC is suitable to be used as lightweight material and as insulation material for thermal insulating applications. This application can contribute to realising operational energy savings and performance benefits

Role of periodontal pathogenic bacteria in RANKL-mediated bone destruction in periodontal disease

Accumulated lines of evidence suggest that hyperimmune responses to periodontal bacteria result in the destruction of periodontal connective tissue and alveolar bone. The etiological roles of periodontal bacteria in the onset and progression of periodontal disease (PD) are well documented. However, the mechanism underlying the engagement of periodontal bacteria in RANKL-mediated alveolar bone resorption remains unclear. Therefore, this review article addresses three critical subjects. First, we discuss earlier studies of immune intervention, ultimately leading to the identification of bacteria-reactive lymphocytes as the cellular source of osteoclast-induction factor lymphokine (now called RANKL) in the context of periodontal bone resorption. Next, we consider (1) the effects of periodontal bacteria on RANKL production from a variety of adaptive immune effector cells, as well as fibroblasts, in inflamed periodontal tissue and (2) the bifunctional roles (upregulation vs. downregulation) of LPS produced from periodontal bacteria in a RANKL-induced osteoclast-signal pathway. Future studies in these two areas could lead to new therapeutic approaches for the management of PD by down-modulating RANKL production and/or RANKL-mediated osteoclastogenesis in the context of host immune responses against periodontal pathogenic bacteria

The gravitational mass of Proxima Centauri measured with SPHERE from a microlensing event

Proxima Centauri, our closest stellar neighbour, is a low-mass M5 dwarf orbiting in a triple system. An Earth-mass planet with an 11 day period has been discovered around this star. The star's mass has been estimated only indirectly using a mass-luminosity relation, meaning that large uncertainties affect our knowledge of its properties. To refine the mass estimate, an independent method has been proposed: gravitational microlensing. By taking advantage of the close passage of Proxima Cen in front of two background stars, it is possible to measure the astrometric shift caused by the microlensing effect due to these close encounters and estimate the gravitational mass of the lens (Proxima Cen). Microlensing events occurred in 2014 and 2016 with impact parameters, the closest approach of Proxima Cen to the background star, of 1\farcs6 $\pm$ 0\farcs1 and 0\farcs5 $\pm$ 0\farcs1, respectively. Accurate measurements of the positions of the background stars during the last two years have been obtained with HST/WFC3, and with VLT/SPHERE from the ground. The SPHERE campaign started on March 2015, and continued for more than two years, covering 9 epochs. The parameters of Proxima Centauri's motion on the sky, along with the pixel scale, true North, and centering of the instrument detector were readjusted for each epoch using the background stars visible in the IRDIS field of view. The experiment has been successful and the astrometric shift caused by the microlensing effect has been measured for the second event in 2016. We used this measurement to derive a mass of 0.150$^{\textrm{+}0.062}_{-0.051}$ (an error of $\sim$ 40\%) \MSun for Proxima Centauri acting as a lens. This is the first and the only currently possible measurement of the gravitational mass of Proxima Centauri.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted by MNRA