46 research outputs found
Enzymatic hydrolysis of salmon oil by native lipases: optimization of process parameters
In an attempt to concentrate the content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) in the residual acylglycerol, salmon oil (n-3 PUFA content of 30.1%) was hydrolyzed with three kinds of native microbial lipases (Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus javanicus and Penicillium solitum). For each lipase, a response surface methodology was used to obtain maximum PUFA content and to optimize the parameters of enzymatic reactions with respect to important reaction variables; temperature (X1), amount of lipases (X2) and water/oil ratio (X3). Based on these results, optimal reaction conditions were established. Aspergillus niger lipase was the most effective in concentrating n-3 PUFA. The degree of hydrolysis (60%) led to an increase in the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content from 14.4% in the original oil to 34.0% (2.4-fold enrichment) in the residual acylglycerol under optimum conditions: enzyme concentration of 500 U g-1 oil, reaction temperature of 45 ºC and water/oil mass rate of 2:1 (m/m) after 24 h reaction.Três lipases microbianas nativas (Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus javanicus e Penicillium solitum) foram utilizadas na hidrólise do óleo de salmão (teor de AGPI n-3 de 30,1%) com o objetivo de concentrar o conteúdo de ácidos graxos poliinsaturados n-3 (AGPI n-3) nos acilgliceróis residuais. A metodologia de planejamento experimental e análise de superfície de resposta foi usada para se chegar às condições otimizadas de cada reação enzimática, utilizando as seguintes variáveis; temperatura (X1), quantidade de lipase (X2) e taxa de água/óleo (X3). Com base nos resultados do planejamento, a lipase de Aspergillus niger foi a mais eficiente na concentração dos AGPI n-3, sendo que as condições ótimas de reação foram: concentração de enzima de 500 U g-1 óleo, temperatura 45 ºC e taxa de água/óleo de 2:1 m/m após 24 h de reação. O grau de hidrólise (60%) conduziu a um aumento do conteúdo de ácido docosahexaenóico (DHA) de 14,4% para 34,0% (enriquecimento de 2,4 vezes) nos acilgliceróis residuais após a hidrólise do óleo de salmão.117124Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq
Lifetime and decay of unstable particles in strong gravitational fields
We consider here the decay of unstable particles in geodesic circular motion
around compact objects. For the neutron, in particular, strong and weak decay
are calculated by means of a semiclassical approach. Noticeable effects are
expected to occur as one approaches the photonic circular orbit of realistic
black-holes. We argue that, in such a limit,the quasi-thermal spectrum inherent
to extremely relativistic observers in circular motion plays a role similar to
the Unruh radiation for uniformly accelerated observers.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Final version to appear in PR
Semiclassical approach to the decay of protons in circular motion under the influence of gravitational fields
We investigate the possible decay of protons in geodesic circular motion
around neutral compact objects. Weak and strong decay rates and the associated
emitted powers are calculated using a semi-classical approach. Our results are
discussed with respect to distinct ones in the literature, which consider the
decay of accelerated protons in electromagnetic fields. A number of consistency
checks are presented along the paper.Comment: To appear in Physical Review
Fatigue in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome: Clinical Phenomenology, Comorbidities and Association With Initial Course of COVID-19.
Introduction
Post-COVID-19 syndrome affects approximately 10-25% of people suffering from COVID-19 infection, irrespective of initial COVID-19 severity. Fatigue is one of the major symptoms, occurring in 30-90% of people with post-COVID-19 syndrome. This study aims at describing factors associated with fatigue in people with Post-COVID-19 seen in our newly established Post-Covid clinic.
Methods
This retrospective single center study included 42 consecutive patients suffering from Post-COVID-19 syndrome treated at the Department of Neurology, University Hospital Bern, between 11/2020 and05/2021. Clinical phenomenology of Post-COVID-19 syndrome with a special focus on fatigue and risk factor identification was performed using Mann-Whitney U Test, Pearson Correlation, and Chi-Quadrat-Test.
Results
Fatigue (90.5%) was the most prevalent Post-COVID-19 symptom followed by depressive mood (52.4%) and sleep disturbance (47.6%). Fatigue was in mean severe (Fatigue severity scale (FSS) mean 5.5 points (95% Confidence interval (95CI) 5.1 - 5.9, range .9 - 6.9, n = 40), and it was unrelated to age, COVID-19 severity or sex. The only related factors with fatigue severity were daytime sleepiness and depressed mood.
Conclusion
Fatigue is the main symptom of the Post-COVID-19 syndrome in our cohort. Further studies describing this syndrome are needed to prepare the healthcare systems for the challenge of treating patients with Post-COVID-19 syndrome
Metagenomic analysis of the turkey gut RNA virus community
Viral enteric disease is an ongoing economic burden to poultry producers worldwide, and despite considerable research, no single virus has emerged as a likely causative agent and target for prevention and control efforts. Historically, electron microscopy has been used to identify suspect viruses, with many small, round viruses eluding classification based solely on morphology. National and regional surveys using molecular diagnostics have revealed that suspect viruses continuously circulate in United States poultry, with many viruses appearing concomitantly and in healthy birds. High-throughput nucleic acid pyrosequencing is a powerful diagnostic technology capable of determining the full genomic repertoire present in a complex environmental sample. We utilized the Roche/454 Life Sciences GS-FLX platform to compile an RNA virus metagenome from turkey flocks experiencing enteric disease. This approach yielded numerous sequences homologous to viruses in the BLAST nr protein database, many of which have not been described in turkeys. Our analysis of this turkey gut RNA metagenome focuses in particular on the turkey-origin members of the Picornavirales, the Caliciviridae, and the turkey Picobirnaviruses
Static quantities of the W boson in the SU_L(3) X U_X(1) model with right-handed neutrinos
The static electromagnetic properties of the boson, and
, are calculated in the SU_L(3)} \times U_X(1) model with
right-handed neutrinos. The new contributions from this model arise from the
gauge and scalar sectors. In the gauge sector there is a new contribution from
a complex neutral gauge boson and a singly-charged gauge boson .
The mass of these gauge bosons, called bileptons, is expected to be in the
range of a few hundreds of GeV according to the current bounds from
experimental data. If the bilepton masses are of the order of 200 GeV, the size
of their contribution is similar to that obtained in other weakly coupled
theories. However the contributions to both and are
negligible for very heavy or degenerate bileptons. As for the scalar sector, an
scenario is examined in which the contribution to the form factors is
identical to that of a two-Higgs-doublet model. It is found that this sector
would not give large corrections to and .Comment: New material included. Final version to apppear in Physical Review
Two-body decays in the minimal 331 model
The two-body decays of the extra neutral boson Z_2 predicted by the minimal
331 model are analyzed. At the three-level it can decay into standard model
particles as well as exotic quarks and the new gauge bosons predicted by the
model. The decays into a lepton pair are strongly suppressed, with and . In the bosonic
sector, Z_2 would decay mainly into a pair of bilepton gauge bosons, with a
branching ratio below the 0.1 level. The Z_2 boson has thus a leptophobic and
bileptophobic nature and it would decay dominantly into quark pairs. The
anomaly-induced decays and , which occurs
at the one-loop level are studied. It is found that and at most. As for the and decays, with H a relatively light Higgs boson, they
are induced via Z'-Z mixing. It is obtained that
and . We also examine the flavor changing neutral
current decays and , which may have branching
fractions as large as and , respectively, and thus may be of
phenomenological interest.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Physical Review
Discrete symmetries, invisible axion and lepton number symmetry in an economic 3-3-1 model
We show that Peccei-Quinn and lepton number symmetries can be a natural
outcome in a 3-3-1 model with right-handed neutrinos after imposing a Z_11 x
Z_2 symmetry. This symmetry is suitably accommodated in this model when we
augmented its spectrum by including merely one singlet scalar field. We work
out the breaking of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry, yielding the axion, and study
the phenomenological consequences. The main result of this work is that the
solution to the strong CP problem can be implemented in a natural way, implying
an invisible axion phenomenologically unconstrained, free of domain wall
formation and constituting a good candidate for the cold dark matter.Comment: 17 pages, Revtex
The Fecal Viral Flora of Wild Rodents
The frequent interactions of rodents with humans make them a common source of zoonotic infections. To obtain an initial unbiased measure of the viral diversity in the enteric tract of wild rodents we sequenced partially purified, randomly amplified viral RNA and DNA in the feces of 105 wild rodents (mouse, vole, and rat) collected in California and Virginia. We identified in decreasing frequency sequences related to the mammalian viruses families Circoviridae, Picobirnaviridae, Picornaviridae, Astroviridae, Parvoviridae, Papillomaviridae, Adenoviridae, and Coronaviridae. Seventeen small circular DNA genomes containing one or two replicase genes distantly related to the Circoviridae representing several potentially new viral families were characterized. In the Picornaviridae family two new candidate genera as well as a close genetic relative of the human pathogen Aichi virus were characterized. Fragments of the first mouse sapelovirus and picobirnaviruses were identified and the first murine astrovirus genome was characterized. A mouse papillomavirus genome and fragments of a novel adenovirus and adenovirus-associated virus were also sequenced. The next largest fraction of the rodent fecal virome was related to insect viruses of the Densoviridae, Iridoviridae, Polydnaviridae, Dicistroviriade, Bromoviridae, and Virgaviridae families followed by plant virus-related sequences in the Nanoviridae, Geminiviridae, Phycodnaviridae, Secoviridae, Partitiviridae, Tymoviridae, Alphaflexiviridae, and Tombusviridae families reflecting the largely insect and plant rodent diet. Phylogenetic analyses of full and partial viral genomes therefore revealed many previously unreported viral species, genera, and families. The close genetic similarities noted between some rodent and human viruses might reflect past zoonoses. This study increases our understanding of the viral diversity in wild rodents and highlights the large number of still uncharacterized viruses in mammals