Antioxidant properties of different dietary supplements based on Agaricus blazei Murrill

In 2012, the market for nutraceuticals earned $90 billion worldwide and it is predicted to reach$33.6 billion in the next four years. Agaricus blazei Murrill mushroom is native to Brazil and widely cultivated due to nutritional and medicinal value [I ,2]. Its beneficial effects have long been recognized, becoming popular as ordinary food, increasing also its production and marketing as dietary supplements (3]. A. blazei is traditionally used to combat a variety of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, hepatitis and hypercholesterolemia [2]. The use of dietary supplements based on A. blazei has grown significantly, due to pharmacological studies reporting antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, immunostimulant, apoptotic and chemopreventive effects [2,3], attributed to ®-glucans and other bioactive compounds, such as steroids, tocopherols and phenolic compounds [4]. Herein, the antioxidant activity of A. blazei capsules enriched with fmits of Malpighia glabra L. (acerola), Solanum melongena L. (eggplant) and Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açai), calcium and chitosan, were evaluated though in vitro assays: DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, reducing power, inhibition of G-carotene bleaching and inhibition of lipid peroxidation in brain homogenates by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TSARS) assay. Two capsules (daily recommended dose) were dissolved in 100 mL of distilled water in order to prepare a stock solution. Several dilutions were tested until determination of EC50 values (concentration responsible for 50% of antioxidant activity or 0.5 of absorbance in reducing power assay). Globally, all the tested formulations showed high antioxidant activity. A. blazei with acerola gave the highest DPPH scavenging activity (EC50=0.81±0.0 1 mg/mL) and reducing power (EC50=0.53±0.0 1 mg/mL). Nevertheless, A. blazei with ayai showed the highest activity in the lipophilic assays: f3 - carotene bleaching inhibition (EC50=0.55±0.02 mg/mL) and lipid peroxidation inhibition by TSARS assay (EC50=O. 14±0.01 mg/mL). The studied formulations might be useful as antioxidants-enriched supplements to prevent some of the diseases related to oxidative stress

Large atom number dual-species magneto-optical trap for fermionic 6Li and 40K atoms

We present the design, implementation and characterization of a dual-species magneto-optical trap (MOT) for fermionic 6Li and 40K atoms with large atom numbers. The MOT simultaneously contains 5.2x10^9 6Li-atoms and 8.0x10^9 40K-atoms, which are continuously loaded by a Zeeman slower for 6Li and a 2D-MOT for 40K. The atom sources induce capture rates of 1.2x10^9 6Li-atoms/s and 1.4x10^9 40K-atoms/s. Trap losses due to light-induced interspecies collisions of ~65% were observed and could be minimized to ~10% by using low magnetic field gradients and low light powers in the repumping light of both atomic species. The described system represents the starting point for the production of a large-atom number quantum degenerate Fermi-Fermi mixture

Avaliação da depleção linfóide folicular da Bursa de Fabricius: uma metodologia alternativa utilizando análise digital de imagem e redes neurais artificiais

Fifty Bursa of Fabricius (BF) were examined by conventional optical microscopy and digital images were acquired and processed using Matlab® 6.5 software. The Artificial Neuronal Network (ANN) was generated using Neuroshell® Classifier software and the optical and digital data were compared. The ANN was able to make a comparable classification of digital and optical scores. The use of ANN was able to classify correctly the majority of the follicles, reaching sensibility and specificity of 89% and 96%, respectively. When the follicles were scored and grouped in a binary fashion the sensibility increased to 90% and obtained the maximum value for the specificity of 92%. These results demonstrate that the use of digital image analysis and ANN is a useful tool for the pathological classification of the BF lymphoid depletion. In addition it provides objective results that allow measuring the dimension of the error in the diagnosis and classification therefore making comparison between databases feasible.Cinquenta Bursa de Fabrícius (BF) foram examinadas através de microscopia óptica convencional e imagens digitais foram obtidas e processadas através do software Matlab® 6.5. Redes Neurais Artificiais (ANN) foram geradas com a utilização do software Neuroshell® Classifier, e os dados das análises óptica e digital foram comparados. A ANN classificou corretamente a maioria dos folículos, atingindo sensibilidade e especificidade de 89% e 96%, respectivamente. Quando os folículos foram agrupados de forma binária houve um aumento da sensibilidade para 90% e obteve-se um valor máximo para a especificidade de 92%. Estes resultados demonstram que o uso da análise digital de imagem associada à ANNé uma ferramenta bastante útil para a classificação patológica da depleção linfóide da BF. Além disso, fornece resultados objetivos que permitem medir a dimensão do erro classificatório, tornando possível a comparação entre distintos bancos de dados

Transfer learning for galaxy morphology from one survey to another

© 2018 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.Deep Learning (DL) algorithms for morphological classification of galaxies have proven very successful, mimicking (or even improving) visual classifications. However, these algorithms rely on large training samples of labelled galaxies (typically thousands of them). A key question for using DL classifications in future Big Data surveys is how much of the knowledge acquired from an existing survey can be exported to a new dataset, i.e. if the features learned by the machines are meaningful for different data. We test the performance of DL models, trained with Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data, on Dark Energy survey (DES) using images for a sample of $\sim$5000 galaxies with a similar redshift distribution to SDSS. Applying the models directly to DES data provides a reasonable global accuracy ($\sim$ 90%), but small completeness and purity values. A fast domain adaptation step, consisting in a further training with a small DES sample of galaxies ($\sim$500-300), is enough for obtaining an accuracy > 95% and a significant improvement in the completeness and purity values. This demonstrates that, once trained with a particular dataset, machines can quickly adapt to new instrument characteristics (e.g., PSF, seeing, depth), reducing by almost one order of magnitude the necessary training sample for morphological classification. Redshift evolution effects or significant depth differences are not taken into account in this study.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Spherically symmetric dissipative anisotropic fluids: A general study

The full set of equations governing the evolution of self--gravitating spherically symmetric dissipative fluids with anisotropic stresses is deployed and used to carry out a general study on the behaviour of such systems, in the context of general relativity. Emphasis is given to the link between the Weyl tensor, the shear tensor, the anisotropy of the pressure and the density inhomogeneity. In particular we provide the general, necessary and sufficient, condition for the vanishing of the spatial gradients of energy density, which in turn suggests a possible definition of a gravitational arrow of time. Some solutions are also exhibited to illustrate the discussion.Comment: 28 pages Latex. To appear in Phys.Rev.

Value of thrombus CT Characteristics in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Thrombus CT characteristics might be useful for patient selection for intra-arterial treatment. Our objective was to study the association of thrombus CT characteristics with outcome and treatment effect in patients with acute ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 199 patients for whom thin-section NCCT and CTA within 30 minutes from each other were available in the Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute ischemic stroke in the Netherlands (MR CLEAN) study. We assessed the following thrombus characteristics: location, distance from ICA terminus to thrombus, length, volume, absolute and relative density

Vacuum solutions of the gravitational field equations in the brane world model

We consider some classes of solutions of the static, spherically symmetric gravitational field equations in the vacuum in the brane world scenario, in which our Universe is a three-brane embedded in a higher dimensional space-time. The vacuum field equations on the brane are reduced to a system of two ordinary differential equations, which describe all the geometric properties of the vacuum as functions of the dark pressure and dark radiation terms (the projections of the Weyl curvature of the bulk, generating non-local brane stresses). Several classes of exact solutions of the vacuum gravitational field equations on the brane are derived. In the particular case of a vanishing dark pressure the integration of the field equations can be reduced to the integration of an Abel type equation. A perturbative procedure, based on the iterative solution of an integral equation, is also developed for this case. Brane vacuums with particular symmetries are investigated by using Lie group techniques. In the case of a static vacuum brane admitting a one-parameter group of conformal motions the exact solution of the field equations can be found, with the functional form of the dark radiation and pressure terms uniquely fixed by the symmetry. The requirement of the invariance of the field equations with respect to the quasi-homologous group of transformations also imposes a unique, linear proportionality relation between the dark energy and dark pressure. A homology theorem for the static, spherically symmetric gravitational field equations in the vacuum on the brane is also proven.Comment: 13 pages, no figures, to appear in PR

Dynamics of Brane-World Cosmological Models

We show that generically the initial singularity is isotropic in spatially homogeneous cosmological models in the brane-world scenario. We then argue that it is plausible that the initial singularity is isotropic in typical brane world cosmological models. Therefore, brane cosmology naturally gives rise to a set of initial data that provide the conditions for inflation to subsequently take place, thereby solving the initial conditions problem and leading to a self--consistent and viable cosmology.Comment: Final version. To appear in Physical Revie

The powerful in vitro bioactivity of Euterpe oleracea Mart. seeds and related phenolic compounds

The Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açaí) is a plant from the Amazon region, classified as "super fruit" because of its various functional properties. However, limited investigation has been performed on açaí by-products, such as seeds. Therefore, the aim of this work was to characterized the phenolic compounds of the aqueous extract of açaí seeds and further evaluate its bioactivity (antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. Only proanthocyanidins were detected, being a B-type (epi)catechin tetramer the most abundant; however, procyanidin trimmers were the most predominant form. Açaí seeds extract revealed a high antioxidant (EC50 ranging from 3.6 to 19.4 μg/mL) and cytotoxic activity, being more effective in the cervical carcinoma cell line (HeLa; GI50 = 18 μg/mL); it did not show toxicity for non-tumor cells. Açaí seeds are considered a waste and could have an added economic benefit, through the extraction of natural antioxidants, particularly proanthocyanidins, that could find applications in food and pharmaceutical industries.The authors are grateful to Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to the research centre CIMO (strategic project PEst OE/AGR/UI0690/2011) and L. Barros researcher contract under “Programa Compromisso com Ciência - 2008”. The authors are also grateful to Jamil S. Oliveira by the initial discussions on the preparation of samples

The relation between the column density structures and the magnetic field orientation in the Vela C molecular complex

We statistically evaluated the relative orientation between gas column density structures, inferred from Herschel submillimetre observations, and the magnetic field projected on the plane of sky, inferred from polarized thermal emission of Galactic dust observed by the Balloon-borne Large-Aperture Submillimetre Telescope for Polarimetry (BLASTPol) at 250, 350, and 500 μm, towards the Vela C molecular complex. First, we find very good agreement between the polarization orientations in the three wavelength-bands, suggesting that, at the considered common angular resolution of 3.0 that corresponds to a physical scale of approximately 0.61 pc, the inferred magnetic field orientation is not significantly affected by temperature or dust grain alignment effects. Second, we find that the relative orientation between gas column density structures and the magnetic field changes progressively with increasing gas column density, from mostly parallel or having no preferred orientation at low column densities to mostly perpendicular at the highest column densities. This observation is in agreement with previous studies by the Planck collaboration towards more nearby molecular clouds. Finally, we find a correspondence between (a) the trends in relative orientation between the column density structures and the projected magnetic field; and (b) the shape of the column density probability distribution functions (PDFs). In the sub-regions of Vela C dominated by one clear filamentary structure, or "ridges", where the high-column density tails of the PDFs are flatter, we find a sharp transition from preferentially parallel or having no preferred relative orientation at low column densities to preferentially perpendicular at highest column densities. In the sub-regions of Vela C dominated by several filamentary structures with multiple orientations, or "nests", where the maximum values of the column density are smaller than in the ridge-like sub-regions and the high-column density tails of the PDFs are steeper, such a transition is also present, but it is clearly less sharp than in the ridge-like sub-regions. Both of these results suggest that the magnetic field is dynamically important for the formation of density structures in this region