2,378 research outputs found
Clinical, Hematologic, and Molecular Findings in Naturally Occurring Babesia canis vogeli
Background. Canine babesiosis is a clinically important hemoprotozoan parasite affecting dogs. The goal of this present study was to determine the clinical symptoms and to establish its hematological and microscopic detection and compare it with the PCR findings attained from dogs infected with Babesia canis vogeli. Methodology/Principal Findings. 13-PCR confirmed Babesia-infected dogs were examined; seminested PCR was used to discover the precise type of Babesia and Babesia canis vogeli was the only subspecies detected. The most consistent clinical signs were elevated rectal temperature and a pale mucous membrane. Thrombocytopenia, monocytosis, and lymphocytosis, along with a significant reduction in red cell parameters, were the most commonly recorded hematologic alterations. Microscopic examination revealed the presence of typical large merozoites and trophozoites of B. canis in the ratio 76.92%. Conclusions/Significance. The presumptive diagnosis of canine babesiosis should be based on a fever and anemia, while thrombocytopenia is considered the hallmark of the disease; microscopic examination may not be very revealing in the detection at low parasitemia, but it remains the most rapid confirmatory method. Seminested PCR turned out to be a sensitive and accurate method for diagnosis; during the process of differentiation between Babesia subspecies, only B. canis subsp. vogeli was detected
Non-cubic layered structure of Ba(1-x)K(x)BiO3 superconductor
Bismuthate superconductor Ba(1-x)K(x)BiO3 (x=0.27-0.49, Tc=25-32K) grown by
an electrolysis technique was studied by electron diffraction and
high-resolution electron microscopy. The crystalline structure thereof has been
found to be non-cubic, of the layered nature, and non-centrosymmetric, with the
lattice parameters a ~ ap, c ~ 2ap (ap is a simple cubic perovskite cell
parameter) containing an ordered arrangement of barium and potassium. The
evidence for the layered nature of the bismuthate superconductor removes the
principal crystallographic contradiction between bismuthate and cuprate high-Tc
superconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Physical Review B as a Rapid
Communicatio
The CMB and the measure of the multiverse
In the context of eternal inflation, cosmological predictions depend on the
choice of measure to regulate the diverging spacetime volume. The spectrum of
inflationary perturbations is no exception, as we demonstrate by comparing the
predictions of the fat geodesic and causal patch measures. To highlight the
effect of the measure---as opposed to any effects related to a possible
landscape of vacua---we take the cosmological model, including the model of
inflation, to be fixed. We also condition on the average CMB temperature
accompanying the measurement. Both measures predict a 1-point expectation value
for the gauge-invariant Newtonian potential, which takes the form of a
(scale-dependent) monopole, in addition to a related contribution to the
3-point correlation function, with the detailed form of these quantities
differing between the measures. However, for both measures both effects are
well within cosmic variance. Our results make clear the theoretical relevance
of the measure, and at the same time validate the standard inflationary
predictions in the context of eternal inflation.Comment: 28 pages; v2: reference added, some clarification
Temporal averaging for quantification of lumen dimensions in intravascular ultrasound images
Quantitative analysis of arterial dimensions from high frequency intravascular ultrasound images (30 MHz) may be hampered by strong blood scattering. Replacement of blood by saline is one method to provide a clear view of the arterial lumen; another method is that of temporal averaging of successive ultrasound images. The accuracy of this latter method was tested by comparing the lumen area measurements on the temporal-averaged image, with the data of the same cross-section obtained from the single-frame and saline-filled images. The mean lumen area measured on the temporal-averaged images was similar to that measured on the single-frame images (mean difference: −0.02 ± 1.16 mm2; p = ns). The mean lumen a
Stability and Antioxidant Activity of Hydro-Glyceric Extracts Obtained from Different Grape Seed Varieties Incorporated in Cosmetic Creams
Grape seeds are agro-industrial by-products, which if improperly managed, may be responsible for socioeconomic and environmental problems. Nevertheless, it is possible to effectively valorize them by means of extraction of the bioactive compounds, especially the antioxidant phenolic molecules, using a safe, green, and environmentally-friendly extractive medium (i.e., hydro-glyceric solution). In the present study, the extraction was performed using seeds from two Lebanese varieties, Obeidi and Asswad Karech, and three international varieties, Marselan, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc. The type and amount of phenolic compounds were identified by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Marselan was the extract richer in catechins (132.99 +/- 9.81 mu g/g of dried matter), and it also contained a higher amount of phenolic compounds (49.08 +/- 0.03 mg of gallic acid equivalent/g of dry matter and 10.02 +/- 0.24 mg of proanthocyanidin content/g of dry matter). The antioxidant capacity of the extracts was assessed using three different colorimetric assays including 2,2-DiPhenyl-1-PicrylHydrazyl (DPPH), CUPRIC ion Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (CUPRAC), and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP). As expected, Marselan exhibited the highest antioxidant activity; as well, the total phenolic and proanthocyanidin content were the highest. The stability of the Marselan extract incorporated into a commercial cream, was performed at three different temperatures (4, 25, and 50 degrees C), and four different concentrations (5, 4, 3, 2%), over a period of 4 months, using different methods such as centrifugation, Heat-Shock Cycles, pH, and viscosity. All Marselan hydro-glyceric extract formulations were proven to be stable over the entire 4 months, where the highest stability was achieved at 4 degrees C and the least at 50 degrees C. This study supports the suitability of the incorporation of phenolic extracts into commercial creams to enrich the cosmetic industry with effective, natural, and safe skincare products
Influence of exogenous enzymes in presence of Salix babylonica extract on digestibility, microbial protein synthesis and performance of lambs fed maize silage
In Mexico, there are native trees that
can be used as an alternative feed when forages are
scarce and of poor quality in the dry season (Palma
et al. 1995). However, the use of plants or their
extracts as feed additives is restricted by their secondary
compound content (Salem et al. 2014c): although
the ideal concentrations can modify and support the
utilization of nutrients in the rumen (Salem et al.
2014a, b, c), an inverse relationship between secondary
compound concentration and animal performance
has been observed (Vasta & Luciano 2011; Salem
et al. 2011a, 2013).Sixteen Suffolk lambs with 29 ± 2·0 kg body weight were housed in individual cages for 60 days and allotted to four
treatments in a completely randomized design to determine the effect of administration of Salix babylonica (SB)
extract and/or exogenous enzymes (ZADO®) on lamb performance. Lambs were fed with 300 g/kg concentrate
(160 g crude protein (CP)/kg, 13·4 MJ metabolizable energy (ME)/kg dry matter (DM)) and 700 g/kg maize silage
(80 g/kg CP, 11·7 MJ ME/kg DM) as a basal diet (control). Another three treatments were tested; the SB extract
was administered at 30 ml/day (SB) and exogenous enzymes ZADO® (i.e. an exogenous enzyme cocktail in a
powder form) directly fed at 10 g/day (EZ), while the last treatment contained ZADO® at 10 g/day + SB extract at
30 ml/day (EZSB). Lambs of the treatment EZSB had the greatest average daily weight gain (ADG) and feed conversion
throughout the period of the experiment. However, during the first 30 days SB was more effective for ADG than
EZ and vice versa during the last 30 days of the experiment.Water consumption was greater for SB, followed by EZ
and EZSB compared to the control. Intakes ofDMand organicmatter (OM) were the highest in EZSB followed by EZ,
which had the greatest neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre (ADF) and nitrogen (N) intakes. The EZSB treatment
had the greatest DM and OM digestibilities compared to the other treatments; however, SB had the greatest
ADF digestibility. Combination of EZ and SB had the best N balance. Allantoin, total purine derivatives (PD), allantoin
: -creatinine ratio, and PD: creatinine ratio were increased in EZSB compared to the other treatments. However,
EZ supplementation increased uric acid concentration, whereas the microbial N (g N/day) and metabolizable
protein (g N/day) were increased in EZSB versus the other treatments. It can be concluded that addition of 10 g
ZADO® in combination with S. babylonica extract at 30 ml/day in the diet of lambs increased feed intake, nutrient
digestibility and daily gain, with a positive impact on the use of N and microbial protein synthesis
Cosmological Measures without Volume Weighting
Many cosmologists (myself included) have advocated volume weighting for the
cosmological measure problem, weighting spatial hypersurfaces by their volume.
However, this often leads to the Boltzmann brain problem, that almost all
observations would be by momentary Boltzmann brains that arise very briefly as
quantum fluctuations in the late universe when it has expanded to a huge size,
so that our observations (too ordered for Boltzmann brains) would be highly
atypical and unlikely. Here it is suggested that volume weighting may be a
mistake. Volume averaging is advocated as an alternative. One consequence may
be a loss of the argument that eternal inflation gives a nonzero probability
that our universe now has infinite volume.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX, added references for constant-H hypersurfaces and
also an idea for minimal-flux hypersurface
Multi-Step Biomass Fractionation of Grape Seeds from Pomace, a Zero-Waste Approach
Grape seeds are the wineries' main by-products, and their disposal causes ecological and environmental problems. In this study seeds from the pomace waste of autochthonous grape varieties from Lebanon, Obeidi (white variety) and Asswad Karech (red variety) were used for a multi-step biomass fractionation. For the first step, a lipid extraction was performed, and the obtained yield was 12.33% (w/w) for Obeidi and 13.04% (w/w) for Asswad Karech. For the second step, polyphenols' recovery from the defatted seeds was carried out, resulting in 12.0% (w/w) for Obeidi and 6.6% (w/w) for Asswad Karech, with Obeidi's extract having the highest total phenolic content (333.1 ± 1.6 mg GAE/g dry matter) and antioxidant activity (662.17 ± 0.01 µg/mL of Trolox equivalent). In the third step, the defatted and dephenolized seeds were subsequently extracted under alkaline conditions and the proteins were isoelectric precipitated. The recovered protein extract was 3.90% (w/w) for Obeidi and 4.11% (w/w) for Asswad Karech seeds, with Asswad Karech's extract having the highest protein content (64 ± 0.2 mg protein/g dry matter). The remaining exhausted residue can be valorized in cosmetic scrubs formulations as a replacement for plastic microbeads. The designed zero-waste approach multi-step biomass fractionation has the potential to improve the valorization of the side products (grape seeds) of these two Lebanese autochthonous grape varieties
Potential impact of prickly pear cactus flour and Salix babylonica extract on cecal fermentation and methane production in horses
The cecal gas (GP) and methane (CH4) production and cecal fermentation kinetics when corn grain (CG) was replaced with prickly cactus (PC) in a horse’s diet at different levels of Salix babylonica (SB) extract was investigated. Three total mixed rations where CG was replaced with PC at three levels (/kg): 0 g (Control), 75 g (PC75) or 150 g (PC150) were prepared and SB extract added at four levels: 0, 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 mL/g dry matter (DM) of substrates. No ration type 9 SB extract dose interaction was observed (P [0.05) for GP kinetics and CH4 production. Increasing the level of PC in the ration quadratically increased (P \0.01) the asymptotic GP and decreased (P\0.01) the rate and lag time of GP. Increasing the level of PC in the ration, increased GP values (P\0.05). Increasing the level of SB extract linearly decreased (P = 0.001) the lag time of GP of all diets without affecting the asymptotic GP or the rate of GP. Ration type and SB level had no effect (P [0.05) on CH4 production; however, at 36 h of incubation, SB extract decreased CH4 production. The rations PC75 and PC150 increased cecal pH compared with the control ration. The PC150 ration had the highest (P\0.05) DM degradability, short chain fatty acids production, and gas yield after 24 h of incubation, with no effect (P[0.05) of SB inclusion on all investigated fermentation kinetic parameters. It is concluded that increasing the level of PC in the diet of horse and replacing CG up to 60%, increased GP and improved cecal fermentation kinetics without affecting CH4 production. Inclusion of S. babylonica extract in the tested rations had weak effects on fermentation kinetics although it decreased the lag time of GP
Graded extension of SO(2,1) Lie algebra and the search for exact solutions of Dirac equation by point canonical transformations
SO(2,1) is the symmetry algebra for a class of three-parameter problems that
includes the oscillator, Coulomb and Morse potentials as well as other problems
at zero energy. All of the potentials in this class can be mapped into the
oscillator potential by point canonical transformations. We call this class the
"oscillator class". A nontrivial graded extension of SO(2,1) is defined and its
realization by two-dimensional matrices of differential operators acting in
spinor space is given. It turns out that this graded algebra is the
supersymmetry algebra for a class of relativistic potentials that includes the
Dirac-Oscillator, Dirac-Coulomb and Dirac-Morse potentials. This class is, in
fact, the relativistic extension of the oscillator class. A new point canonical
transformation, which is compatible with the relativistic problem, is
formulated. It maps all of these relativistic potentials into the
Dirac-Oscillator potential.Comment: Replaced with a more potrable PDF versio
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