Caracterización química, perfil de ácidos grasos y actividad antioxidante del mesocarpio de la fruta Gustavia macarenensis y su aceite de la región amazónica de Ecuador como fuente no convencional de aceite vegetal

To our knowledge, this study is the first to report on the nutritional characterization, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of Amazonian G. macarenensis fruit. The fatty acid profile was determined using a high performance liquid chromatography analysis. The total phenolic content and antioxidant activity were determined using Folin Ciocalteu’s method and by radical scavenging activity, respectively. Moreover, a cluster analysis was carried out in order to classify the G. macarenensis fruit oil according to its fatty acid profile. Seven Fisher linear discriminant functions were obtained from the discriminant analysis. These models allow one to classify new fruits on the basis of their fatty acid profile. A high value for total lipids was obtained (53.57%). Its main components were palmitic and oleic acid. The TPC value (156.49 ± 2.62 mg GAE/Kg of oil) obtained from the G. macarenensis fruit pulp oil is higher than what was reported for some olive oil and Brazilian mango oil varieties.Hasta donde sabemos, este estudio sería el primero sobre la caracterización nutricional, los compuestos bioactivos y la actividad antioxidante de la fruta amazónica G. macarenensis. El perfil de ácidos grasos se determinó mediante análisis de cromatografía líquida de alta resolución. El contenido fenólico total y la actividad antioxidante se determinaron utilizando el método de Folin Ciocalteu y la medida de la actividad de eliminación de radicales, respectivamente. Además, se realizó un análisis de conglomerados para clasificar el aceite de fruta G. macarenensis según su perfil de ácidos grasos. Se obtuvieron siete funciones discriminantes lineales de Fisher a partir del análisis discriminante. Estos modelos permiten clasificar frutas nuevas en función de su perfil de ácidos grasos. Se obtuvo un alto valor para el total de lípidos (53.57%). Sus componentes principales son los ácidos palmítico y oleico. El valor TPC (156.49 ± 2.62 mg GAE/Kg de aceite) obtenido del aceite de pulpa de fruta de G. macarenensis es más alto que el que se reporta para algunas variedades de aceite de oliva y aceite de mango brasileño

Broadband Quantum Enhancement of the LIGO Detectors with Frequency-Dependent Squeezing

Quantum noise imposes a fundamental limitation on the sensitivity of interferometric gravitational-wave detectors like LIGO, manifesting as shot noise and quantum radiation pressure noise. Here, we present the first realization of frequency-dependent squeezing in full-scale gravitational-wave detectors, resulting in the reduction of both shot noise and quantum radiation pressure noise, with broadband detector enhancement from tens of hertz to several kilohertz. In the LIGO Hanford detector, squeezing reduced the detector noise amplitude by a factor of 1.6 (4.0 dB) near 1 kHz; in the Livingston detector, the noise reduction was a factor of 1.9 (5.8 dB). These improvements directly impact LIGO's scientific output for high-frequency sources (e.g., binary neutron star postmerger physics). The improved low-frequency sensitivity, which boosted the detector range by 15%-18% with respect to no squeezing, corresponds to an increase in the astrophysical detection rate of up to 65%. Frequency-dependent squeezing was enabled by the addition of a 300-meter-long filter cavity to each detector as part of the LIGO A+ upgrade

Lymnaea schirazensis, an Overlooked Snail Distorting Fascioliasis Data: Genotype, Phenotype, Ecology, Worldwide Spread, Susceptibility, Applicability

BACKGROUND: Lymnaeid snails transmit medical and veterinary important trematodiases, mainly fascioliasis. Vector specificity of fasciolid parasites defines disease distribution and characteristics. Different lymnaeid species appear linked to different transmission and epidemiological patterns. Pronounced susceptibility differences to absolute resistance have been described among lymnaeid populations. When assessing disease characteristics in different endemic areas, unexpected results were obtained in studies on lymnaeid susceptibility to Fasciola. We undertook studies to understand this disease transmission heterogeneity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A ten-year study in Iran, Egypt, Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru, demonstrated that such heterogeneity is not due to susceptibility differences, but to a hitherto overlooked cryptic species, Lymnaea schirazensis, confused with the main vector Galba truncatula and/or other Galba/Fossaria vectors. Nuclear rDNA and mtDNA sequences and phylogenetic reconstruction highlighted an old evolutionary divergence from other Galba/Fossaria species, and a low intraspecific variability suggesting a recent spread from one geographical source. Morphometry, anatomy and egg cluster analyses allowed for phenotypic differentiation. Selfing, egg laying, and habitat characteristics indicated a migration capacity by passive transport. Studies showed that it is not a vector species (n = 8572 field collected, 20 populations): snail finding and penetration by F. hepatica miracidium occur but never lead to cercarial production (n = 338 experimentally infected). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This species has been distorting fasciolid specificity/susceptibility and fascioliasis geographical distribution data. Hence, a large body of literature on G. truncatula should be revised. Its existence has henceforth to be considered in research. Genetic data on livestock, archeology and history along the 10,000-year post-domestication period explain its wide spread from the Neolithic Fertile Crescent. It is an efficient biomarker for the follow-up of livestock movements, a crucial aspect in fascioliasis emergence. It offers an outstanding laboratory model for genetic studies on susceptibility/resistance in F. hepatica/lymnaeid interaction, a field of applied research with disease control perspectives

Observation of gravitational waves from the coalescence of a 2.5–4.5 M ⊙ compact object and a neutron star

We report the observation of a coalescing compact binary with component masses 2.5–4.5 M ⊙ and 1.2–2.0 M ⊙ (all measurements quoted at the 90% credible level). The gravitational-wave signal GW230529_181500 was observed during the fourth observing run of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA detector network on 2023 May 29 by the LIGO Livingston observatory. The primary component of the source has a mass less than 5 M ⊙ at 99% credibility. We cannot definitively determine from gravitational-wave data alone whether either component of the source is a neutron star or a black hole. However, given existing estimates of the maximum neutron star mass, we find the most probable interpretation of the source to be the coalescence of a neutron star with a black hole that has a mass between the most massive neutron stars and the least massive black holes observed in the Galaxy. We provisionally estimate a merger rate density of 55−47+127Gpc−3yr−1 for compact binary coalescences with properties similar to the source of GW230529_181500; assuming that the source is a neutron star–black hole merger, GW230529_181500-like sources may make up the majority of neutron star–black hole coalescences. The discovery of this system implies an increase in the expected rate of neutron star–black hole mergers with electromagnetic counterparts and provides further evidence for compact objects existing within the purported lower mass gap