139 research outputs found
Influence of dietary supplementation with an amino acid mixture on inflammatory markers, immune status and serum proteome in lps-challenged weaned piglets
In order to investigate the effect of a dietary amino acid mixture supplementation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged weaned piglets, twenty-seven 28-day-old (8.2 ± 1.0 kg) newly weaned piglets were randomly allocated to one of three experimental treatments for five weeks. Diet 1: a CTRL treatment. Diet 2: an LPS treatment, where piglets were intraperitoneally administered LPS (25 µg/kg) on day 7. Diet 3: an LPS+MIX treatment, where piglets were intraperitoneally administered LPS on day 7 and fed a diet supplemented with a mixture of 0.3% of arginine, branched-chain amino acids (leucine, valine, and isoleucine), and cystine (MIX). Blood samples were drawn on day 10 and day 35, and serum was analysed for selected chemical parameters and proteomics. The LPS and LPS+MIX groups exhibited an increase in haptoglobin concentrations on day 10. The LPS group showed an increased cortisol concentration, while this concentration was reduced in the LPS+MIX group compared to the control group. Similarly, the LPS+MIX group showed a decreased haptoglobin concentration on day 35 compared to the two other groups. Immunoglobulin concentrations were affected by treatments. Indeed, on day 10, the concentrations of IgG and IgM were decreased by the LPS challenge, as illustrated by the lower concentrations of these two immunoglobulins in the LPS group compared to the control group. In addition, the supplementation with the amino acid mixture in the LPS+MIX further decreased IgG and increased IgM concentrations compared to the LPS group. Although a proteomics approach did not reveal important alterations in the protein profile in response to treatments, LPS-challenged piglets had an increase in proteins linked to the immune response, when compared to piglets supplemented with the amino acid mixture. Overall, data indicate that LPS-challenged piglets supplemented with this amino acid mixture are more protected against the detrimental effects of LPS.This study was supported by Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition Europe, by Indukern Portugal, Lda., and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Lisbon, Portugal) through projects UIDB/CVT/00276/2020 to CIISA and PEST/UID/AGR/4129/2020 to LEAF. It was also supported by national funds, through FCT Stimulus of Scientific Employment Program to author P.A.L. (DL57/2016/CP1438/CT0007) and a Ph.D. grant (SFRH/BD/143992/2019) to author D.M.R.
This work had the support from the Portuguese Mass Spectrometry Net-work, integrated in the National Roadmap of Research Infrastructures of Strategic Relevance (ROTEIRO/0028/2013; LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-022125)
Coexistence of metallic and nonmetallic properties in the pyrochlore Lu2Rh2O7
Transition metal oxides of the and block have recently become the
targets of materials discovery, largely due to their strong spin-orbit coupling
that can generate exotic magnetic and electronic states. Here we report the
high pressure synthesis of LuRhO, a new cubic pyrochlore oxide
based on Rh and characterizations via thermodynamic, electrical
transport, and muon spin relaxation measurements. Magnetic susceptibility
measurements reveal a large temperature-independent Pauli paramagnetic
contribution, while heat capacity shows an enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient,
= 21.8(1) mJ/mol-Rh K. Muon spin relaxation measurements confirm
that LuRhO remains paramagnetic down to 2 K. Taken in combination,
these three measurements suggest that LuRhO is a correlated
paramagnetic metal with a Wilson ratio of . However, electric
transport measurements present a striking contradiction as the resistivity of
LuRhO is observed to monotonically increase with decreasing
temperature, indicative of a nonmetallic state. Furthermore, although the
magnitude of the resistivity is that of a semiconductor, the temperature
dependence does not obey any conventional form. Thus, we propose that
LuRhO may belong to the same novel class of non-Fermi liquids as
the nonmetallic metal FeCrAs.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector
The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets
containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass
energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The
measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1.
The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary
decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from
the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is
used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive
b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the
range 20 < pT < 400 GeV and rapidity in the range |y| < 2.1. The bbbar-dijet
cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the
range 110 < m_jj < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets
and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are
compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed
between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG +
Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured bbbar-dijet
cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive
cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse
momenta.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (21 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final
version published in European Physical Journal
Genome-Scale Reconstruction and Analysis of the Pseudomonas putida KT2440 Metabolic Network Facilitates Applications in Biotechnology
A cornerstone of biotechnology is the use of microorganisms for the efficient
production of chemicals and the elimination of harmful waste.
Pseudomonas putida is an archetype of such microbes due to
its metabolic versatility, stress resistance, amenability to genetic
modifications, and vast potential for environmental and industrial applications.
To address both the elucidation of the metabolic wiring in P.
putida and its uses in biocatalysis, in particular for the production
of non-growth-related biochemicals, we developed and present here a genome-scale
constraint-based model of the metabolism of P. putida KT2440.
Network reconstruction and flux balance analysis (FBA) enabled definition of the
structure of the metabolic network, identification of knowledge gaps, and
pin-pointing of essential metabolic functions, facilitating thereby the
refinement of gene annotations. FBA and flux variability analysis were used to
analyze the properties, potential, and limits of the model. These analyses
allowed identification, under various conditions, of key features of metabolism
such as growth yield, resource distribution, network robustness, and gene
essentiality. The model was validated with data from continuous cell cultures,
high-throughput phenotyping data, 13C-measurement of internal flux
distributions, and specifically generated knock-out mutants. Auxotrophy was
correctly predicted in 75% of the cases. These systematic analyses
revealed that the metabolic network structure is the main factor determining the
accuracy of predictions, whereas biomass composition has negligible influence.
Finally, we drew on the model to devise metabolic engineering strategies to
improve production of polyhydroxyalkanoates, a class of biotechnologically
useful compounds whose synthesis is not coupled to cell survival. The solidly
validated model yields valuable insights into genotype–phenotype
relationships and provides a sound framework to explore this versatile bacterium
and to capitalize on its vast biotechnological potential
COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF NEEDLE AND CATHETER OVER NEEDLE WITH ACTIVE PROTECTION DEVICES IN THE HOSPITAL SETTING
ASPECTS OF THE SILVOPASTORAL SYSTEM CORRELATED WITH PROPERTIES OF A TYPIC QUARTZIPSAMMENT (ENTISOL) IN MATO GROSSO DO SUL, BRAZIL
- …