Fatty acid bioaccessibility and structural breakdown from in vitro digestion of almond particles.

Previous studies have shown that the size of almond particles influences lipid bioaccessibility during digestion. However, the extent of structural breakdown of almond particles during gastric digestion and its impact on lipid bioaccessibility is unclear. In this study, in vitro digestion of almond particles was conducted using a dynamic model (Human Gastric Simulator) and a static model (shaking water bath). Structural breakdown of particles during the gastric phase occurred only in the Human Gastric Simulator, as evidenced by a reduction in particle size (15.89 ± 0.68 mm2 to 12.19 ± 1.29 mm2, p < 0.05). Fatty acid bioaccessibility at the end of the gastric phase was greater in the Human Gastric Simulator than in the shaking water bath (6.55 ± 0.85% vs. 4.54 ± 0.36%, p < 0.01). Results showed that the in vitro model of digestion which included peristaltic contractions (Human Gastric Simulator) led to breakdown of almond particles during gastric digestion which increased fatty acid bioaccessibility

A fast and reliable method for monitoring genomic instability in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans

The identification of genotoxic agents and their potential for genotoxic alterations in an organism is crucial for risk assessment and approval procedures of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Classically, testing strategies for DNA or chromosomal damage focus on in vitro and in vivo (mainly rodent) investigations. In cell culture systems, the alkaline unwinding (AU) assay is one of the well-established methods for detecting the percentage of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). By establishing a reliable lysis protocol, and further optimization of the AU assay for the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), we provided a new tool for genotoxicity testing in the niche between in vitro and rodent experiments. The method is intended to complement existing testing strategies by a multicellular organism, which allows higher predictability of genotoxic potential compared to in vitro cell line or bacterial investigations, before utilizing in vivo (rodent) investigations. This also allows working within the 3R concept (reduction, refinement, and replacement of animal experiments), by reducing and possibly replacing animal testing. Validation with known genotoxic agents (bleomycin (BLM) and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBOOH)) proved the method to be meaningful, reproducible, and feasible for high-throughput genotoxicity testing, and especially preliminary screening

Emission rates of CO2 from plume measurements.

Most of the CO2 that emanated from Mount St. Helens became part of the gas plume as it moved away from the volcano. An airborne technique was developed for continuous sampling and infrared analysis for CO2 in the plume. The CO2-emission rates were determined by measuring the area, the horizontal velocity, and the CO2 concentration anomaly in vertical cross sections of the plume The emission rate varied from 2100 t/day to about 22 000 t/day.-from Autho

Manganese-Induced Toxicity in C. elegans : What Can We Learn from the Transcriptome?

Manganese (Mn) is an essential ubiquitous transition metal and, when occupationally or environmentally overexposed, a well-known risk factor for several neurological pathologies. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying Mn-induced neurotoxicity are largely unknown. In this study, addressing RNA-Seq analysis, bioavailability and survival assays, key pathways of transcriptional responses to Mn overexposure were investigated in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), providing insights into the Mn-induced cellular stress and damage response. Comparative transcriptome analyses identified a large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in nematodes exposed to MnCl2 , and functional annotation suggested oxidative nucleotide damage, unfolded protein response and innate immunity as major damage response pathways. Additionally, a time-dependent increase in the transcriptional response after MnCl2 exposure was identified by means of increased numbers of DEGs, indicating a time-dependent response and activation of the stress responses in Mn neurotoxicity. The data provided here represent a powerful transcriptomic resource in the field of Mn toxicity, and therefore, this study provides a useful basis for further planning of targeted mechanistic studies of Mn-induced neurotoxicity that are urgently needed in the face of increasing industrially caused environmental pollution with Mn

End-to-end deep learning for directly estimating grape yield from ground-based imagery

Yield estimation is a powerful tool in vineyard management, as it allows growers to fine-tune practices to optimize yield and quality. However, yield estimation is currently performed using manual sampling, which is time-consuming and imprecise. This study demonstrates the application of proximal imaging combined with deep learning for yield estimation in vineyards. Continuous data collection using a vehicle-mounted sensing kit combined with collection of ground truth yield data at harvest using a commercial yield monitor allowed for the generation of a large dataset of 23,581 yield points and 107,933 images. Moreover, this study was conducted in a mechanically managed commercial vineyard, representing a challenging environment for image analysis but a common set of conditions in the California Central Valley. Three model architectures were tested: object detection, CNN regression, and transformer models. The object detection model was trained on hand-labeled images to localize grape bunches, and either bunch count or pixel area was summed to correlate with grape yield. Conversely, regression models were trained end-to-end to predict grape yield from image data without the need for hand labeling. Results demonstrated that both a transformer as well as the object detection model with pixel area processing performed comparably, with a mean absolute percent error of 18% and 18.5%, respectively on a representative holdout dataset. Saliency mapping was used to demonstrate the attention of the CNN model was localized near the predicted location of grape bunches, as well as on the top of the grapevine canopy. Overall, the study showed the applicability of proximal imaging and deep learning for prediction of grapevine yield on a large scale. Additionally, the end-to-end modeling approach was able to perform comparably to the object detection approach while eliminating the need for hand-labeling

Changes in geothermal vegetation at Myvatn, Iceland, and comparisons to other geothermal areas

We sampled 207 plots from 15 transects at the Myvatn geothermal area in Iceland in 1985, one year after the September 1984 eruption of Krafla, and again in 1987, and compared the species and community structure to that of other sites we had visited in Japan and New Zealand. We found 5 lichen, 47 bryophyte, and 28 tracheophyte species at Myvatn. Overall Shannon diversity (H’) was high at 4.34, with Brillouin (information-theory-based) species diversity (H’) being very similar at 4.32. The greatest diversity occurred at > 25–35°C surface temperature and the least at > 60°C. Zones are defined mostly by temperature and humidity, with Cyanobacteria closest to the vents in the hottest zones, followed by bryophytes, then lichens, then tracheophytes. Bryum argenteum, Ceratodon purpureus, and Fossombronia sp. 1 (probably immature F. foveolata) occupied the highest temperatures near the vents in 1985. Lichens tended to avoid hot soils with high humidity. Soil chemistry most likely plays a role, but with so many variables and many values at unquantifiable levels, we considered it premature to determine their individual effects. By 1987, Bryum argenteum, a near-vent species, had almost totally disappeared, along with the steam emissions where they had thrived. The geothermal areas in cold climates could serve as refugia for more temperate species that may have existed prior to the Ice Age, or they may simply be suitable habitats for northern extensions of the species. This study gives us a glimpse of potential vegetational changes resulting from climate changes as demonstrated in three regions of the world

Associations between energy intake, daily food intake and energy density of foods and BMI z-score in 2-9-year-old European children

The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between proxy-reported energy intake, daily food intake and energy density of foods and body mass index (BMI) z-score in 2-9-year-old European children. From 16,225 children who participated in the identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants (IDEFICS) baseline examination, 9,782 children with 24-h proxy dietary information and complete covariate information were included in the analysis. Participating children were classified according to adapted Goldberg cutoffs: underreports, plausible energy reports and overreports. Energy intake, daily food intake and energy density of foods excluding noncaloric beverages were calculated for all eating occasions. Effect of energy intake, daily food intake and energy density of foods on BMI z-score was investigated using multilevel regression models in the full sample and subsample of plausible energy reports. Exposure variables were included separately; daily food intake and energy intake were addressed in a combined model to check for interactions. In the group of plausible energy reports (N = 8,544), energy intake and daily food intake were significantly positively associated with BMI z-score. Energy density of foods was not associated with BMI z-score. In the model including energy intake, food intake and an interaction term, only energy intake showed a significantly positive effect on BMI z-score. In the full sample (N = 9,782), only energy intake was significantly but negatively associated with BMI z-score. Proxy-reporters are subject to misreporting, especially for children in the higher BMI levels. Energy intake is a more important predictor of unhealthy weight development in children than daily food intake

Overview of mathematical approaches used to model bacterial chemotaxis I: the single cell

Mathematical modeling of bacterial chemotaxis systems has been influential and insightful in helping to understand experimental observations. We provide here a comprehensive overview of the range of mathematical approaches used for modeling, within a single bacterium, chemotactic processes caused by changes to external gradients in its environment. Specific areas of the bacterial system which have been studied and modeled are discussed in detail, including the modeling of adaptation in response to attractant gradients, the intracellular phosphorylation cascade, membrane receptor clustering, and spatial modeling of intracellular protein signal transduction. The importance of producing robust models that address adaptation, gain, and sensitivity are also discussed. This review highlights that while mathematical modeling has aided in understanding bacterial chemotaxis on the individual cell scale and guiding experimental design, no single model succeeds in robustly describing all of the basic elements of the cell. We conclude by discussing the importance of this and the future of modeling in this area

Effects of thermal fluctuation and the receptor-receptor interaction in bacterial chemotactic signalling and adaptation

Bacterial chemotaxis is controlled by the conformational changes of the receptors, in response to the change of the ambient chemical concentration. In a statistical mechanical approach, the signalling due to the conformational changes is a thermodynamic average quantity, dependent on the temperature and the total energy of the system, including both ligand-receptor interaction and receptor-receptor interaction. This physical theory suggests to biology a new understanding of cooperation in ligand binding and receptor signalling problems. How much experimental support of this approach can be obtained from the currently available data? What are the parameter values? What is the practical information for experiments? Here we make comparisons between the theory and recent experimental results. Although currently comparisons can only be semi-quantitative or qualitative, consistency is clearly shown. The theory also helps to sort a variety of data.Comment: 26 pages, revtex. Journal version. Analysis on another set of data on adaptation time is adde