An overview of structural aspects and health beneficial effects of antioxidant oligosaccharides

Background: Non-digestible oligosaccharides are versatile sources of chemical diversity, well known for their prebiotic actions, found naturally in plants or produced by chemical or enzymatic synthesis or by hydrolysis of polysaccharides. Compared to polyphenols or even polysaccharides, the antioxidant potential of oligosaccharides is still unexplored. The aim of the present work was to provide an up-to-date, broad and critical contribution on the topic of antioxidant oligosaccharides. Methods: The search was performed by crossing the words oligosaccharides and antioxidant. Whenever possible, attempts at establishing correlations between chemical structure and antioxidant activity were undertaken. Results: The most representative in vitro and in vivo studies were compiled in two tables. Chitooligosaccharides and xylooligosaccharides and their derivatives were the most studied up to now. The antioxidant activities of oligosaccharides depend on the degree of polymerization and the method used for depolymerization. Other factors influencing the antioxidant strength are solubility, monosaccharide composition, the type of glycosidic linkages of the side chains, molecular weight, reducing sugar content, the presence of phenolic groups such as ferulic acid, and the presence of uronic acid, among others. Modification of the antioxidant capacity of oligosaccharides has been achieved by adding diverse organic groups to their structures, thus increasing also the spectrum of potentially useful molecules. Conclusion: A great amount of high-quality evidence has been accumulating during the last decade in support of a meaningful antioxidant activity of oligosaccharides and derivatives. Ingestion of antioxidant oligosaccharides can be visualized as beneficial to human and animal health.This work was funded by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientffico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brazil; grants numbers 40898/2016-5 and 307944/2015-8).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment: Application and correlations in a real-life cross-sectional study

Background: The assessment process of elderly people considers all aspects of an individual's life, including physical, mental, and social aspects. Frailty refers to a decline in physiological functions or strengths leading to increased vulnerability to stressors and decreased ability to cope with them. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is a validated and useful tool in this context to holistically study elderly people. The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of impaired health status in a large geriatric population turning to outpatient service, based on the components of the CGA, and thus to describe its usefulness in real-life clinical practice. The secondary aim of this study was the evaluation of the association between nutritional status, assessed with Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA)-within the CGA-and cognitive-affective and functional capacities, and multimorbidity. Materials and methods: This real-life, retrospective cross-sectional study included subjects consecutively evaluated from January 2009 to December 2020 at the Geriatric Outpatient Service, University Hospital of Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy. A sum of 3,260 patients were subjected to CGA. Results: Only a small proportion of the sample (2.24%) showed an absence of impairment in cognitive-affective, functional, and nutritional domains. Moderate correlations were found between MNA and several other CGA variables, namely, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS; ϱ = -0.41, p < 0.0001), Barthel Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) (ϱ = 0.51, p < 0.0001), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) (ϱ = 0.43, p < 0.0001), and Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (ϱ = 0.44, p < 0.0001). A multiple regression also highlighted these variables as significant regressors of MNA. Finally, malnutrition showed a significant association with depression (odds ratio [OR]: 4.97), dependence on ADL (OR: 19.8) and IADL (OR: 7.04), and falling risk (OR: 5.16). Conclusion: This study has figured out the complex situation in which geriatric care finds itself the complexity and severe impairment of elderly people. The possibilities of intervention are often limited, but the literature confirms the benefits of good nutritional status on the general health status. The data that emerged from our study fit into this assumption, highlighting the close association between the nutritional domain and the other CGA domains

Determinants in Jordan matrix algebras

We introduce a natural notion of determinant in matrix JB$^*$-algebras, i.e., for hermitian matrices of biquaternions and for hermitian $3\times 3$ matrices of complex octonions. We establish several properties of these determinants which are useful to understand the structure of the Cartan factor of type $6$. As a tool we provide an explicit description of minimal projections in the Cartan factor of type $6$ and a variety of its automorphisms.Comment: 38 pages; we added one reference and one remar

Analytical and numerical study of the non-linear noisy voter model on complex networks

We study the noisy voter model using a specific non-linear dependence of the rates that takes into account collective interaction between individuals. The resulting model is solved exactly under the all-to-all coupling configuration and approximately in some random networks environments. In the all-to-all setup we find that the non-linear interactions induce "bona fide" phase transitions that, contrary to the linear version of the model, survive in the thermodynamic limit. The main effect of the complex network is to shift the transition lines and modify the finite-size dependence, a modification that can be captured with the introduction of an effective system size that decreases with the degree heterogeneity of the network. While a non-trivial finite-size dependence of the moments of the probability distribution is derived from our treatment, mean-field exponents are nevertheless obtained in the thermodynamic limit. These theoretical predictions are well confirmed by numerical simulations of the stochastic process

Stochastic pair approximation treatment of the noisy voter model

We present a full stochastic description of the pair approximation scheme to study binary-state dynamics on heterogeneous networks. Within this general approach, we obtain a set of equations for the dynamical correlations, fluctuations and finite-size effects, as well as for the temporal evolution of all relevant variables. We test this scheme for a prototypical model of opinion dynamics known as the noisy voter model that has a finite-size critical point. Using a closure approach based on a system size expansion around a stochastic dynamical attractor we obtain very accurate results, as compared with numerical simulations, for stationary and time dependent quantities whether below, within or above the critical region. We also show that finite-size effects in complex networks cannot be captured, as often suggested, by merely replacing the actual system size $N$ by an effective network dependent size $N_{{\rm eff}}

Structural Design, Development and Testing of a Small Experimental Satellite: SATEX-1

A 50 kg. satellite is being developed at the University of Mexico as an engineering test bed. SATEX-1 is programmed to be launched to polar orbit early in 1995 by Ariane. The satellite structure comprises aluminum sandwich panels and composites in the form of a cube made with two matting U-shaped parts. This solution was selected for simplicity during assembly and testing. The s/c body is further stiffened by an internal panel which supports a pressurized gas tank and other hardware. All panels are joined by standard corner and edge close-outs and splices. At present, a finite element model for the validation of the design, regarding static and dynamic behavior is being conducted. The paper presents numerical results for quasi static and dynamic analysis, such as eigen-values, free vibration and sinusoidal vibrations. The testing program follows closely launcher agency requirements and is supported by previous similar experiences in our laboratory. Also, a general description of the project is included

Aportes polínicos invernales en colmenas de Sierra Morena (Córdoba, España)

Se ha rcal~do un esaudio de aportes polfnkos invernales en colmc.nas de b SM:.rra (C6<doba, EspañJ). Adcmis de les p61cnes descrito; oon an1erioridad pan b tcmporad.l alla de recolecci6o, apartccn ellos tipoc poUnicas ca elcv.Jdas proporciones: Composirat, Oxalis pc;.oprat, PhiUyuo fJIIfUtlfolia, CoryfttSll\'ttfana. Elica arboru, cte. l...3.s ,¡gnirfcativas difc· rencias aparecidas tnlrc b.s colmenas CSiudladas en tuii.DlO a la participación de farniliM polínic: as.. apoyarian la tcoria de que el compDrt3mienro recolc:ctor de polen enApi: mtU1Tm: s.igue el modelo de. la •constancia individuar.Wintcr pcllimfcrous sourC from thc Sierra (Cérdoba, Spain) wcre Sludicd, Be· sides thc pollens previousJy dtSCribcd for thC higb harv<:SI sea.c;on, Lhe follow1ng WCIC found in ~ignifi cant proportions.: Composiroe, OxoiiJ pes-caproe, Phillytta anguJri{rHia, C01ylus D\-tllona, Erica arborta, etc. Thc signilic.3. nl differences betwec:n hivt:S ~lb rcspcctto ttlc ~n icipation of ttle pollinic fam.ilics, suppon ttlc "indhidual constanc}"' theory ia the pollen b;m.'CSicr bcha\oiGT of A pis melliftrQ