The Emerging Conflict of Common Ravens Roosting on Electric Power Transmission Line Towers in Montana, USA

Bird interactions with electric power lines can cause faults (e.g., disruption of electrical service). Faults on 500kV transmission lines in Montana, USA, which are integral to the Northwest USA power grid, became concerning during winter 2016–2017. In 2017 we found insulators contaminated with bird droppings and discovered a large nocturnal roost of common ravens (Corvus corax). To assess the potential magnitude of the impact of raven roosts on electric power transmission, we summarized fault data obtained from the Energy Management System and raven abundance data obtained from the Christmas Bird Count in central Montana from 2005 to 2020. We also conducted counts at 7 roosts in the study area in winter 2019–2020. We detected a positive relationship between the number of faults reported and raven abundance. The 3 largest roosts we surveyed peaked at 1,000–1,500 ravens on single evenings. The number of faults reported in winter 2019–2020 decreased after use of silicon-coated insulators, perch deterrents, and periodic washing of insulators. Increased raven populations throughout their range may cause similar conflicts for other electric utilities. Long-term management of ravens will need to integrate approaches at both local and landscape scales

Botanicals in Functional Foods and Food Supplements: Tradition, Efficacy and Regulatory Aspects

In recent decades, the interest in products containing botanicals and claiming \u201cfunctional\u201d properties has increased exponentially. Functional foods, novel foods and food supplements have a special impact on the consumers, who show significant expectation for their well-being. Food supplements with botanical ingredients are the food area that has witnessed the greatest development, in terms of the number of available products, budget, and consumer acceptability. This review refers to and discusses some open points, such as: 1) the definitions and regulation of products containing botanicals; 2) the difficulty in obtaining nutritional and functional claims (botanical ingredients obtaining claims in the EU are listed and summarized); 3) the safety aspects of these products; and 4) the poor harmonization between international legislations. The availability of these "new" products can positively influence the well-being of the population, but it is essential to provide the consumers with the necessary recommendations to guide them in their purchase and use

Penerapan Algoritma Ari Borneo (Ab) Untuk Pembacaan Teks Dengan Memanfaatkan Microsoft Speech Dan Id1

Reading is an activity person to obtain information from something written. Reading involves recognition of the symbol and the letters that make a language. But there are some people who are lazy to read text in English language which is not a language that is used everyday by Indonesian people. In addition to reading, there are also the most common activities to obtain information that is heard. Hear is a way to gain an understanding of the meaning of the information in the form or sound using auditory senses. Reading activities contributed 10% ability for know information, with listening, knowing information can reach 30%. With conditions like this, then it needs an alternative media that can help treat the condition. The alternative media that can be made is text to speech fo r read text in Indonesia language and English language, for detection language using Ari Borneo Algorithm. These systems are made using Delphi 7 programming language, MBROLA Tools as Indonesia-speaking sound generators and Microsoft Speech API as English sound generator. Through this system, userscan absorb information from listening to the reading o f text by both systems

Diversity of oat varieties in eliciting the early inflammatory events in celiac disease

Purpose Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy, triggered by dietary gluten. The only treatment is a strict gluten-free diet. Oats are included in the list of gluten-free ingredients by European Regulation, but the safety of oats in CD is still a matter of debate. The present study examined the capability of different oat cultivars of activating the gliadin-induced transglutaminase-2 (TG2)-dependent events in some in vitro models of CD. In addition, we compared this capability with the electrophoresis pattern of peptic\u2013tryptic digests of the proteins of the oat cultivars. Methods K562(S) cells agglutination, transepithelial electrical resistance of T84-cell monolayers, intracellular levels of TG2 and phosphorylated form of protein 42\u201344 in T84 cells were the early gliadin-dependent events studied. Results The results showed that the Nave oat cultivar elicited these events, whereas Irina and Potenza varieties did not. The ability of a cultivar to activate the above-described events was associated with the electrophoretic pattern of oat proteins and their reactivity to anti-gliadin antibodies. Conclusion We found significant differences among oat cultivars in eliciting the TG2-mediated events of CD inflammation. Therefore, the safety of an oat cultivar in CD might be screened in vitro by means of biochemical and biological assays, before starting a clinical trial to definitely assess its safety

Development of a Sandwich ELISA to Measure Exposure to Occupational Cow Hair Allergens

Background: Cow hair and dander are important inducers of occupational allergies in cattle-exposed farmers. To estimate allergen exposure in farming environments, a sensitive enzyme immunoassay was developed to measure cow hair allergens. Methods: A sandwich ELISA was developed using polyclonal rabbit antibodies against a mixture of hair extracts from different cattle breeds. To assess the specificity of the assay, extracts from other mammalian epithelia, mites, molds and grains were tested. To validate the new assay, cow hair allergens were measured in passive airborne dust samples from the stables and homes of farmers. Dust was collected with electrostatic dust fall collectors (EDCs). Results: The sandwich ELISA was found to be very sensitive (detection limit: 0.1 ng/ml) and highly reproducible, demonstrating intra-and interassay coefficients of variation of 4 and 10%, respectively. The assay showed no reactivity with mites, molds and grains, but some cross-reactivity with other mammalian epithelia, with the strongest reaction with goat. Using EDCs for dust sampling, high concentrations of bovine allergens were measured in cow stables (4,760-559,400 mu g/m(2)). In addition, bovine allergens were detected in all areas of cattle farmer dwellings. A large variation was found between individual samples (0.3-900 mu g/m(2)) and significantly higher values were discovered in changing rooms. Conclusion: The ELISA developed for the detection of cow hair proteins is a useful tool for allergen quantification in occupational and home environments. Based on its low detection limit, this test is sensitive enough to detect allergens in passive airborne dust. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base

Phenolic profile and biological activity of table grapes (Vitis vinifera L.)

Table grapes are largely produced and consumed in the Mediterranean area. Furthermore, in the last years, the commercial interest in table grapes and other non-alcoholic grape products has notably increased worldwide. In addition to the nutritional aspects, polyphenol compounds in fresh grapes could exert positive effects on human health. The aim of this study was the characterization of the phenolic pattern of sixteen grape varieties and the evaluation of the associated antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory activity at gastric level. The methods used were: 1) Folin-Cocalteau\u2019s assay for the quantification of total polyphenol content; 2) High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with Diode-Array Detector (DAD) to perform the quantitative analysis of grapes phenolic fraction 3) DPPH (1,1,-diphenil-2-picrylhydrazyl) spectrophotometric assay for the assessment of radical scavenging activity; 4) assessment of IL-8 release from human gastric epithelial cells to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of grape extracts. Some grapes, including seedless varieties, showed that the phenolic pattern was highly correlated with the biological activities, and, in particular, with peel and seeds portion. These results suggest that selected grape varieties could represent, also for consumers who do not drink wine, a source of healthy compounds potentially able to counteract oxidative stress and gastric inflammation

Further experimental data supporting the safety of potassium polyaspartate used as a food additive in wine stabilization

Potassium polyaspartate (KPPA) is a food additive used for wine stabilization. KPAA was included in the list of additives allowed in EU, with the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1399, having received a positive opinion by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) in 2016. KPAA is rich in negative charges, which are essential for its enological function consisting in binding positive ions in order to reduce wine instability. Concerns were raised on the fact that the same binding properties could be responsible for a reduction of microelement bioavailability in humans. For this reason and for the protection of consumers' health, the binding properties of potassium polyaspartate versus three minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium) was assayed using the Size-Exclusion Chromatography (SEC). Aliquots obtained by SEC were analysed for their content in polyaspartate (by microbiuret method) and bound minerals (by ICP-OES method). The results obtained by this research shows that, when potassium polyaspartate is added to wine, the negative charges of the additive are saturated, as expected by the specific role of KPAA in tartaric stabilization. In conclusions, the effect on mineral bioavailability must be considered negligible

The Role of Wine in Modulating Inflammatory Processes: A Review

Several epidemiological studies associated the consumption of wine with the reduction of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, as well as for diabetes. These conditions are characterized by inflammatory mechanisms in addition to other biological mechanisms. Acute and chronic inflammation is mediated by a plethora of biomarkers production and pathway activation. Since the health promoting properties of wine in different pathological conditions may include the reduction of inflammation, the aim of this paper was to collect and review the in vitro, in vivo, and human studies performed to evaluate the effects of wine on different models of inflammation. Although great variability in wine intake, period of consumption, and content of phenolic compounds was observed, data from both human and animal studies showed a positive modulation of inflammatory biomarkers (cytokines, coagulation parameters) and oxidative stress (mainly malondialdehyde) involved in cardiovascular function. In addition, some convincing evidence was obtained in different models suggesting a positive modulation of risk factors for gastric and intestinal inflammation. Contradictory results were obtained for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. To date, no significant paper has been published in the area of immune function. Integrating in vivo data and in vitro studies, the NF-\u3baB pathway has been identified as a critical target for the protective properties of a moderate wine consumptio

Re-Assembled Botulinum Neurotoxin Inhibits CNS Functions without Systemic Toxicity

The therapeutic potential of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) has recently been widely recognized. BoNT/A acts to silence synaptic transmission via specific proteolytic cleavage of an essential neuronal protein, SNAP25. The advantages of BoNT/A-mediated synaptic silencing include very long duration, high potency and localized action. However, there is a fear of possible side-effects of BoNT/A due to its diffusible nature which may lead to neuromuscular blockade away from the injection site. We recently developed a “protein-stapling” technology which allows re-assembly of BoNT/A from two separate fragments. This technology allowed, for the first time, safe production of this popular neuronal silencing agent. Here we evaluated the re-assembled toxin in several CNS assays and assessed its systemic effects in an animal model. Our results show that the re-assembled toxin is potent in inhibiting CNS function at 1 nM concentration but surprisingly does not exhibit systemic toxicity after intraperitoneal injection even at 200 ng/kg dose. This shows that the re-assembled toxin represents a uniquely safe tool for neuroscience research and future medical applications

Identification and Quantification of Thujone in a Case of Poisoning Due to Repeated Ingestion of an Infusion of Artemisia Vulgaris L

Abstract: Plants of the Artemisia genus are used worldwide as ingredients of botanical preparations. This paper describes the case of a 49-year-old man admitted to the emergency room at a Zurich hospital in a manic state after the ingestion of 1 L of an infusion of Artemisia vulgaris. Two monoterpenic ketones, \u3b1- and \u3b2-thujone, are present in various concentrations in Artemisia spp., but adverse effects have previously been associated only with essential oil from Artemisia absinthium and attributed to the inhibition of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors, with consequent excitation and convulsions. The aim of this work was to examine and quantify the possible presence of thujone in the patient's serum and urine. A High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method with isocratic separation and fluorescence detection (FLD) was set up and validated. Serum thujone concentrations were found to be 27.7\ua0\ub1\ua03.48 \u3bcg/mL at day 0 and 24.1\ua0\ub1\ua00.15 \u3bcg/mL on day 1. Results were confirmed by a gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (FID). Poisoning due to thujone was thus confirmed, suggesting four possible scenarios: (1) an unusually high concentration of thujone in the A. vulgaris ingested; (2) chronic exposure as the cause of the poisoning; (3) low metabolic efficiency of the patient; (4) contamination or adulteration of the plant material with other Artemisia spp., for example, A. absinthium. Practical Application: These results could aid research in the field of adverse effects of botanicals, lead to better understanding and management of similar cases of poisoning, and promote more informed use of natural products