Antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and total flavonoid content in sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) cultivars grown in Northwest Spain under different environmental conditions

The sweet chestnut fruit has always had great importance in the southern European countries. Chestnut production is an important source of income and a crop of high environmental value thanks to its role in soil protection. It is also a good food with enormous potential for various aspects of health because of its nutritional qualities. The quality of sweet chestnuts is affected by various factors, such as climatic conditions and cultivation inputs. It is very important to recognize the impacts of climate on chestnut fruits, to improve our current understanding of climate–chestnut interconnections. The current study investigated and compared the antioxidant activity and the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of different cultivars of chestnuts grown in different geographic areas of northwest Spain. The results obtained with three antioxidant capability assays (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays) were highly correlated. All the samples had high antioxidant capacity and high total phenolic and total flavonoid contents, which depended both on cultivar and growth region. Ventura variety, harvested in the coldest environments, presented the highest values of antioxidant activity (IC50DPPH = 34.5 g/L), total phenolic content (131.84 mg equivalent of gallic acid/100 g FW) and total flavonoids (7.77 mg eq. catechin/100 g). The variations in the antioxidant capacity, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of different cultivars, and their associations with climatic environmental factors, revealed the significant impacts of these factors on the synthesis of specialized metabolites and on the nutraceutical potential of chestnuts. The results can provide valuable information for selection of the cultivar and the cultivation conditions of the chestnut, in order to obtain chestnuts with high-quality bioactive characteristics

Black hole mass estimates in quasars - A comparative analysis of high- and low-ionization lines

The inter-line comparison between high- and low-ionization emission lines has yielded a wealth of information on the quasar broad line region (BLR) structure and dynamics, including perhaps the earliest unambiguous evidence in favor of a disk + wind structure in radio-quiet quasars. We carried out an analysis of the CIV 1549 and Hbeta line profiles of 28 Hamburg-ESO high luminosity quasars and of 48 low-z, low luminosity sources in order to test whether the high-ionization line CIV 1549 width could be correlated with Hbeta and be used as a virial broadening estimator. We analyze intermediate- to high-S/N, moderate resolution optical and NIR spectra covering the redshifted CIV and H$\beta$ over a broad range of luminosity log L ~ 44 - 48.5 [erg/s] and redshift (0 - 3), following an approach based on the quasar main sequence. The present analysis indicates that the line width of CIV 1549 is not immediately offering a virial broadening estimator equivalent to H$\beta$. At the same time a virialized part of the BLR appears to be preserved even at the highest luminosities. We suggest a correction to FWHM(CIV) for Eddington ratio (using the CIV blueshift as a proxy) and luminosity effects that can be applied over more than four dex in luminosity. Great care should be used in estimating high-L black hole masses from CIV 1549 line width. However, once corrected FWHM(CIV) values are used, a CIV-based scaling law can yield unbiased MBH values with respect to the ones based on H$\beta$ with sample standard deviation ~ 0.3 dex.Comment: 43 pages, 15 Figures, submitted to A&

Understanding pseudo-albinism in sole (Solea senegalensis): a transcriptomics and metagenomics approach

Pseudo-albinism is a pigmentation disorder observed in flatfish aquaculture with a complex, multi-factor aetiology. We tested the hypothesis that pigmentation abnormalities are an overt signal of more generalised modifications in tissue structure and function, using as a model the Senegalese sole and two important innate immune barriers, the skin and intestine, and their microbiomes. Stereological analyses in pseudo-albino sole revealed a significantly increased mucous cell number in skin (P < 0.001) and a significantly thicker muscle layer and lamina propria in gut (P < 0.001). RNA-seq transcriptome analysis of the skin and gut identified 573 differentially expressed transcripts (DETs, FDR < 0.05) between pseudo-albino and pigmented soles (one pool/tissue from 4 individuals/phenotype). DETs were mainly linked to pigment production, skin structure and regeneration and smooth muscle contraction. The microbiome (16 S rRNA analysis) was highly diverse in pigmented and pseudo-albino skin but in gut had low complexity and diverged between the two pigmentation phenotypes. Quantitative PCR revealed significantly lower loads of Mycoplasma (P < 0.05) and Vibrio bacteria (P < 0.01) in pseudo-albino compared to the control. The study revealed that pseudo-albinism in addition to pigmentation changes was associated with generalised changes in the skin and gut structure and a modification in the gut microbiome.Agência financiadora H2020 European Funds MSCA-RISE project 691102 Portuguese national funds from FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology UID/Multi/04326/2019 Portuguese national funds from the operational programme CRESC Algarve 2020 EMBRC. PT ALG-01-0145-FEDER-022121 Portuguese national funds from the operational programme COMPETE 2020 EMBRC. PT ALG-01-0145-FEDER-022121 European Union (EU) 654008 Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) SFRH/BPD/84033/2012 Portuguese Institute for Employment and Vocational Training 0068/ET/18info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Proximate composition and amino acid profile of European eel skin: influence of body weight

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGAs industrias de procesamento de peixe de todo o mundo están a descartar millóns de quilogramos de residuos de peixe ao ano. A eliminación destes residuos supón un importante inconveniente na industria de transformación de peixe. A pel grosa da anguía considérase un residuo na industria de transformación de peixe e na casa e adoita converterse en produtos de baixo valor no mercado. Os obxectivos deste estudo foron avaliar as variacións da composición química xeral e do contido de aminoácidos da pel de anguía en relación co peso corporal. O contido de humidade diminuíu e o contido de lípidos aumentou co peso das anguías. A pel da anguía tiña un alto contido proteico, que non variou significativamente co peso da anguía. A glicina foi o aminoácido máis abundante. O aminoácido esencial predominante era a leucina. As anguías máis pequenas contiñan niveis máis altos de treonina, valina, isoleucina, leucina, lisina, ácido glutámico e tirosina que os outros grupos. As anguías máis grandes contiñan niveis máis altos de metionina, hidroxiprolina, glicina, arginina, alanina e prolina que os outros grupos. Os índices de proteínas mostraron que a pel das anguías máis pequenas era de maior calidade nutricional.Fish processing industries worldwide are discarding million kilograms of fish waste per year. The disposal of these wastes is an important handicap in fish processing industry. The thick eel skin is considered a waste product in the fish processing industry and in the home and is usually converted into low market-value products. The aims of this study were to evaluate the variations in the general chemical composition and amino acid content of eel skin in relation to body weight. The moisture content decreased and the lipid content increased with the weight of the eels. Eel skin had a high protein content, which did not vary significantly with eel weight. Glycine was the most abundant amino acid. The predominant essential amino acid was leucine. The smaller eels contained higher levels of threonine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, glutamic acid and tyrosine than the other groups. The larger eels contained higher levels of methionine, hydroxyproline, glycine, arginine, alanine and proline than the other groups. The protein indices showed that the skin from smaller eels was of higher nutritional quality.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431E 2018/0

Dynamical analysis of early afterdepolarization patterns in a biophysically detailed cardiac model

Arrhythmogenic early afterdepolarizations (EADs) are investigated in a biophysically detailed mathematical model of a rabbit ventricular myocyte, providing their location in the parameter phase space and describing their dynamical mechanisms. Simulations using the Sato model, defined by 27 state variables and 177 parameters, are conducted to generate electrical action potentials (APs) for different values of the pacing cycle length and other parameters related to sodium and calcium concentrations. A detailed study of the different AP patterns with or without EADs is carried out, showing the presence of a high variety of temporal AP configurations with chaotic and quasiperiodic behaviors. Regions of bistability are identified and, importantly, linked to transitions between different behaviors. Using sweeping techniques, one-, two-, and three-parameter phase spaces are provided, allowing ascertainment of the role of the selected parameters as well as location of the transition regions. A Devil’s staircase, with symbolic sequence analysis, is proposed to describe transitions in the ratio between the number of voltage (EAD and AP) peaks and the number of APs. To conclude, the obtained results are linked to recent studies for low-dimensional models and a conjecture is made for the internal dynamical structure of the transition region from non-EAD to EAD behavior using fold and cusp bifurcations and maximal canards. In a healthy heart, the sinoatrial node sends out an electrical impulse that spreads throughout the heart activating all cardiac myocytes to produce an electrical response called the action potential (AP). The AP follows a sequence of AP phases corresponding to the inflow and outflow of ions through the membrane of cardiac myocytes. Under some circumstances, that sequence of AP phases can be disrupted by the presence of the so-called early afterdepolarizations (EADs), which are secondary voltage depolarizations that can appear during phase 2 or 3 of the AP. Side effects of drugs, ion channel dysfunction, or oxidative stress, among others, can lead to the genesis of EADs.1–3 In heart failure, long QT syndrome, and other pathological conditions, EADs have been reported to be a relevant cause of fatal ventricular arrhythmias,4–6 but more knowledge is required to understand the theoretical mechanisms underlying their generation. During the last few decades, computational models of cardiac electrical activity have been instrumental in shedding light on various cardiac phenomena, including EADs. Biophysically detailed models of high dimension, i.e., with a large number of state variables, allow more faithful reproduction of experimental observations and facilitate biophysical interpretation. Here, we use the high-dimensional electrophysiological model of a rabbit ventricular myocyte developed by Sato et al.6 with 27 state variables and 177 model parameters. By combining different techniques for dynamical system analysis, we investigate the parameter phase space using three parameters reported to highly influence model dynamics.7 We identify regions in the phase space showing transitions from absence to presence of EADs through different temporal sequences of EADs. In these processes, dynamical phenomena are present, including bistability, chaos, fold, and cusp bifurcations. Putting all this information together and taking into account recent findings using low-dimensional models, we provide a conjecture about the internal dynamical structure of the transition region from absence to presence of EADs in the parameter phase space studied for the Sato model

Sexual Orientation, Drug Use Preference during Sex, and HIV Risk Practices and Preferences among Men Who Specifically Seek Unprotected Sex Partners via the Internet

The present study entailed conducting a content analysis of 1,434 ads/profiles posted on one of the most popular “Men who have Sex with Men” (MSM) websites that specifically fosters unprotected sex. Ads/profiles were selected randomly based on the American ZIP code of residence (n = 1,316), with a randomly-drawn oversampling of profiles of men who self-identified as heterosexual or “curious” rather than gay or bisexual (n = 118). Data were collected between September 2006 and September 2007. The purpose of the present paper is to examine the conjoint effects of self-identified sexual orientation and preference for having/not having sex while high, on men’s sought-after sexual risk. Analytical comparisons of the four groups showed that, on most measures, the combination of sexual orientation and drug use preference during sex differentiated the men. Generally speaking, gay/bisexual men who advertised online for partners with whom they could have sex while high expressed the greatest interest in risky sexual behaviors (e.g., felching, unprotected oral sex, unprotected anal sex) and various risk-related preferences (e.g., multiple partner sex, anonymous sex, eroticizing ejaculatory fluids). This is especially true when they are compared to their heterosexual/“curious” counterparts whose online profiles were not as likely to indicate a desire for having sex while high