Antifungal activities of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) extract on Fusarium species

The basil extract composition was determined by the GC-MS method and 38 different components were identified. The major components of the basil extract were estragol (86.72%), trans-α-bergamotene (2.91%), eucalyptol (2.67%), trans-ocimene (1.04%), linalool (0.72%), methyl-eugenol (0.71%), etc. The antifungal potential of the basil extract was tested against Fusarium oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. subglutinans, and F. verticillioides isolated from cakes, using the agar plate method. Extract concentrations of 0.35 and 0.70% (v/v) significantly inhibited the growth of F. proliferatum (33.37 and 44.30%, respectively) and F. subglutinans (24.74 and 29.27%, respectively) whereas other investigated Fusarium species exhibited much lower sensitivity. The basil extract completely inhibited the growth of investigated Fusarium spp. at the concentration of 1.50% (v/v). Higher concentrations (0.35 and 0.70% (v/v)) reduced growth of aerial mycelium in all tested species. Strong medium pigmentation in the case of F. proliferatum and F. verticillioides was observed. The microscopic examination of the samples confirmed the presence of hyphae deformations with a frequent occurrence of fragmentations, thickenings and diminished sporulation. In addition to the basic, sensory, role the extract of basil has in the food product, it exerted significant antifungal properties, depending on its concentration.Key words: Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) extract, components, antifungal activity, Fusarium spp

Chiral transition and monopole percolation in lattice scalar QED with quenched fermions

We study the interplay between topological observables and chiral and Higgs transitions in lattice scalar QED with quenched fermions. Emphasis is put on the chiral transition line and magnetic monopole percolation at strong gauge coupling. We confirm that at infinite gauge coupling the chiral transition is described by mean field exponents. We find a rich and complicated behaviour at the endpoint of the Higgs transition line which hampers a satisfactory analysis of the chiral transition. We study in detail an intermediate coupling, where the data are consistent both with a trivial chiral transition clearly separated from monopole percolation and with a chiral transition coincident with monopole percolation, and characterized by the same critical exponent $\nu \simeq 0.65$. We discuss the relevance (or lack thereof) of these quenched results to our understanding of the \chupiv\ model. We comment on the interplay of magnetic monopoles and fermion dynamics in more general contexts.Comment: 29 pages, 13 figures included, LaTeX2e (elsart

Uticaj različitih hemijskih sredstava i uslova skladištenja na mikrobiološki profil semena industrijske konoplje (Cannabis sativa L.)

This study aimed to test different chemical agents to obtain microbiologically safe industrial hemp seeds that could be used for further food processing (with the reduced total number of microorganisms, total number of moulds and yeasts, and total number of Enterobacteriaceae). In order to obtain seeds applicable for food consumption, optimal storage temperature conditions (room temperature, refrigerator, freezer), method of seed packaging (vacuum/without vacuum), and the application of various chemical treatments (ethanol, sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium hypochlorite) were tested on the certified industrial hemp seeds, produced in two consecutive years. Optimal storage conditions differed for different microorganisms, and the most optimal storage was at room temperature, for seeds produced in 2018, in the treatment to reduce the total number of Enterobacteriaceae and the total number of microorganisms. When storing seeds from 2018 in order to reduce the number of yeasts and moulds, a slightly lower number was spotted when seeds were stored in a vacuum-sealed bag, at the refrigerator/freezer temperature. For hemp seeds produced in 2019, the most optimal storage conditions were at the refrigerator (for reduction of the total number of Enterobacteriaceae) and freezer temperature (for reduction of the total number of microorganisms). For the reduction of the total number of moulds and yeasts, optimal conditions were at room temperature. Ethanol (75%, v/v) was the most effective disinfectant among the tested chemicals regardless of the initial number of microorganisms, with log reduction of 3.2 (for the total number of Enterobacteriaceae), 2.9 log (for the total number of microorganisms), and total reduction of the total number of yeasts and moulds after 10 minutes, for the seeds harvested in 2019, which were far more contaminated than the seeds harvested in 2018. Considering the price of the disinfection method with ethanol, sodium hypochlorite may be a better solution for the reduction of the number of microbiota on the seeds.Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitivanje različitih hemijskih sredstava za dobijanje mikrobiološki bezbednog semena industrijske konoplje, koje bi se moglo koristiti za dalju preradu u hranu (sa smanjenim ukupnim brojem mikroorganizama, ukupnim brojem kvasaca i plesni, i ukupnim brojem enterobakterija). Da bi se dobilo seme primenljivo za ishranu, optimalni temperaturni uslovi skladištenja (sobna temperatura, frižider, zamrzivač), način pakovanja semena (vakuum/bez vakuuma) i primena različitih hemijskih tretmana (etanol, natrijum hidrogen karbonat, natrijum hipohlorit) su testirani na sertifikovanom semenu industrijske konoplje, proizvedenom u dve uzastopne godine. Optimalni uslovi skladištenja su se razlikovali za različite mikroorganizme, a najoptimalnije skladištenje je bilo na sobnoj temperaturi, za seme iz 2018. godine, a u cilju smanjenja broja enterobakterija i ukupnog broja mikroorganizama. Pri skladištenju semena iz 2018. godine u cilju smanjenja broja plesni i kvasaca primećen je nešto manji broj datih mikroorganizama kada je seme čuvano u vakuumski zatvorenoj vrećici, na temperaturi frižidera/zamrzivača. Za seme konoplje iz 2019. godine najoptimalniji uslovi skladištenja su bili na temperaturi frižidera (za redukciju broja enterobakterija) i u zamrzivaču (za redukciju ukupnog broja mikroorganizama). Za smanjenje ukupnog broja plesni i kvasaca, optimalni uslovi su bili na sobnoj temperaturi. Etanol (75%, v/v) je bio najefikasnije sredstvo za dezinfekciju među ispitivanim hemijskim sredstvima, bez obzira na početni broj mikroorganizama, sa log smanjenjem od 3,2 (za ukupan broj enterobakterija), 2,9 log (za ukupan broj mikroorganizama) i ukupnim smanjenjem broja kvasaca i plesni nakon 10 minuta delovanja, za seme proizvedeno 2019. godine, koje je bilo mnogo više kontaminirano u odnosu na seme iz 2018. godine. Uzimajući u obzir cenu metoda dezinfekcije etanolom, natrijum hipohlorit može biti bolje rešenje za smanjenje broja mikrobiota na semenu

Dynamical fermion mass generation at a tricritical point in strongly coupled U(1) lattice gauge theory

Fermion mass generation in the strongly coupled U(1) lattice gauge theory with fermion and scalar fields of equal charge is investigated by means of numerical simulation with dynamical fermions. Chiral symmetry of this model is broken by the gauge interaction and restored by the light scalar. We present evidence for the existence of a particular, tricritical point of the corresponding phase boundary where the continuum limit might possibly be constructed. It is of interest as a model for dynamical symmetry breaking and mass generation due to a strong gauge interaction. In addition to the massive and unconfined fermion F and Goldstone boson $\pi$, a gauge ball of mass $m_S \simeq 1/2 m_F$ and some other states are found. Tricritical exponents appear to be non-classical.Comment: 21 page

Non-compact Lattice QED with Two Charges: Phase Diagram and Renormalization Group Flow

The phase diagram of non-compact lattice QED in four dimensions with staggered fermions of charges 1 and $-1/2$ is investigated. The renormalized charges are determined and found to be in agreement with perturbation theory. This is an indication that there is no continuum limit with non-vanishing renormalized gauge coupling, and that the theory has a validity bound for every finite value of the renormalized coupling. The renormalization group flow of the charges is investigated and an estimate for the validity bound as a function of the cut-off is obtained. Generalizing this estimate to all fermions in the Standard Model,it is found that a cut-off at the Planck scale implies that $\alpha_R$ has to be less than $1/80$. Due to spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking, strongly bound fermion-antifermion composite states are generated. Their spectrum is discussed.Comment: 35 pages, LATEX, 26 PostScript figures (uuencoded

Chiral Symmetry Restoration at Finite Temperature and Chemical Potential in the Improved Ladder Approximation

The chiral symmetry of QCD is studied at finite temperature and chemical potential using the Schwinger-Dyson equation in the improved ladder approximation. We calculate three order parameters; the vacuum expectation value of the quark bilinear operator, the pion decay constant and the quark mass gap. We have a second order phase transition at the temperature $T_c=169$ MeV along the zero chemical potential line, and a first order phase transition at the chemical potential $\mu_c=598$ MeV along the zero temperature line. We also calculate the critical exponents of the three order parameters.Comment: 16 pages + 10 uuencoded eps figures, LaTe

O(1/N_f) Corrections to the Thirring Model in 2<d<4

The Thirring model, that is, a relativistic field theory of fermions with a contact interaction between vector currents, is studied for dimensionalities 2<d<4 using the 1/N_f expansion, where N_f is the number of fermion species. The model is found to have no ultraviolet divergences at leading order provided a regularization respecting current conservation is used. Explicit O(1/N_f) corrections are computed, and the model shown to be renormalizable at this order in the massless limit; renormalizability appears to hold to all orders due to a special case of Weinberg's theorem. This implies there is a universal amplitude for four particle scattering in the asymptotic regime. Comparisons are made with both the Gross-Neveu model and QED.Comment: 22 pages in plain TeX, with 7 figs included using psfig.tex (Minor conceptual changes - algebra unaffected

Current quark mass effects on chiral phase transition of QCD in the improved ladder approximation

Current quark mass effects on the chiral phase transition of QCD is studied in the improved ladder approximation. An infrared behavior of the gluon propagator is modified in terms of an effective running coupling. The analysis is based on a composite operator formalism and a variational approach. We use the Schwinger-Dyson equation to give a ``normalization condition'' for the Cornwall-Jackiw-Tomboulis effective potential and to isolate the ultraviolet divergence which appears in an expression for the quark-antiquark condensate. We study the current quark mass effects on the order parameter at zero temperature and density. We then calculate the effective potential at finite temperature and density and investigate the current quark mass effects on the chiral phase transition. We find a smooth crossover for $T>0$, $\mu=0$ and a first-order phase transition for $\mu>0$, T=0. Critical exponents are also studied and our model gives the classical mean-field values. We also study the temperature dependence of masses of scalar and pseudoscalar bosons. A critical end point in the $T$-$\mu$ plane is found at $T \sim 100$ MeV, $\mu \sim 300$ MeV.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figure

The interplay between mass, volume, \theta, and <\psibar\psi> in N-flavor QED_2

The Schwinger model (QED_2) with N flavors of massive fermions on a circle of circumference L, or equivalently at finite temperature T, is reduced to a quantum mechanical system of N-1 degrees of freedom. With degenerate fermion masses (m) the chiral condensate develops a cusp singularity at $\theta=\pm \pi$ in the limit L -> $\infty$ or T -> 0, which is removed by a large asymmetry in the fermion masses. Physical quantities sensitively depend on the parameter mL or m/T, and the m -> 0 and L -> $\infty$ (or T -> 0) limits do not commute. A detailed analysis is given for N=3.Comment: LaTeX + 5 figures (4 PS + 1 eepic); uses RevTeX, epsf, eepi