Empirical evaluation of the potential of low-cost and open source “on-the-person” ECG for cardiopathy pre-screening

Electrocardiographic (ECG) data analysis can reveal crucial information about the cardiovascular physiologi- cal phenomenon, which is modulated by the Autonomic Nervous System. Hereupon, beyond cardiovascular diagnosis, ECG markers can also reflect workload levels, or even physical and mental performance, through Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis. Building upon previous work found within the state-of-the-art, this pilot research explores the potential of using a low-cost device for cardiopathy pre-screening, through ECG signal analysis. With the aim of performing the rhythmical analysis, we performed empirical tests from a population of 21 control subjects in a resting position, and an additional 2 subjects, one of them in dynamic condition, in the scope of an exploratory research, using ECG wave segments analysis and HRV features extraction for nu- merical analysis. Results have demonstrated that the signal quality allows reliable ECG acquisition for further rhythmical and HRV analysis, in stationary and dynamic monitoring, for the bipolar leads applied. There was also evidence to suggest a benefit from including ECG morphological analysis with this hardware and software setup for prevention and diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders, although requiring further investigation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Phytase production by Aspergillus niger var. phoenicis URM 4924 using cane molasses and rice brain

XI Reunião Regional Nordeste da SBBq | 4th International Symposium in Biochemistry of Macromolecules and BiotechnologyPhytase is a generic term used to describe an enzyme that hydrolyzes phosphomonoester bonds from phytic acid, thereby liberating inorganic phosphorous, consequently increasing the availability of phosphorous for the absorption. It is presumed to be plant storage form of phosphate which also happens to have considerable antinutritive effects for most animals. Phytate, a salt of phytic acid, is the major storage form of phosphorus in typical animal feedstuffs. The aim of this study was evaluate parameters of the medium, such as the concentrations of cane molasses and rice brain in the production of phytase by Aspergillus niger var. phoenicis URM 4924, using a factorial design. The experiments was carried out according to a 22 factorial design with four center points, which were studied at three levels, cane molasses concentration (1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0%) and the rice bran concentration (0.25%, 0.5% and 0.75%). Fermentations were carried out using 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks, 30° C, 90 rpm, pH 4.0, with addiction of saline solution (gL-1: KCl 0.5; MgSO4.7H2O 1.5; CaCl2.2H2O 2,0) for 72 hours of production. Phytase activity was determined by quantification of the phosphate released from phytate during the enzymatic reaction using the method of ammonium molybdate. The best conditions for phytase production (12.69 U/mL) occurred using 0.75% of rice brain with 2.0% of cane molasses. These results demonstrate the potential of cane molasses and rice brain in submerged fermentation for the phytase production by A.CAPES and CNPqinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Isolation, identification and biotechnological applications of a novel, robust, free-living Chlorococcum (Oophila) amblystomatis strain isolated from a local pond

Bioprospection of novel autochthonous strains is key to the successful industrial-scale production of microalgal biomass. A novel Chlorococcum strain was recently isolated from a pond inside the industrial production facility of Allmicroalgae (Leiria, Portugal). Phylogenetic analysis based on 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene sequences suggests that this isolate is a novel, free-living Oophila amblystomatis strain. However, as our phylogenetic data strongly suggests that the aforementioned taxon belongs to the genus Chlorococcum, it is here proposed to rename this species as Chlorococcum amblystomatis. In order to characterize the biotechnological potential of this novel isolate, growth performance and biochemical composition were evaluated from the pilot (2.5-m3) to industrial (10-m3) scale. The highest maximum areal productivity (36.56 g m2 day1) was reached in a 10-m3 tubular photobioreactor (PBR), as compared to that obtained in a 2.5-m3 PBR (26.75 g m2 day1). Chlorococcum amblystomatis displayed high protein content (48%–56% dry weight (DW)) and moderate levels of total lipids (18%–31% DW), carbohydrates (6%–18% DW) and ashes (9%–16% DW). Furthermore, the lipid profile was dominated by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The highest pigment contents were obtained in the 2.5-m3 PBR, where total chlorophylls accounted for 40.24 mg g1 DW, followed by lutein with 5.37 mg g1 DW. Overall, this free-living Chlorococcum amblystomatis strain shows great potential for nutritional applications, coupling a promising growth performance with a high protein content as well as relevant amounts of PUFAs, chlorophyll, and carotenoids.FCT: UIDB/04326/2020, UIDB/04292/2020. Projects EMBRC.PT ALG-01-0145-FEDER-022121 and BIODATA.PT ALG-01-0145-FEDER-02223.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Partitioning of fibrinolytic protease from Bacillus sp. UFPEDA 485 by aqueous two-phase systems using PEG/sodium sulfate

XI Reunião Regional Nordeste da SBBq | 4th International Symposium in Biochemistry of Macromolecules and BiotechnologyThe fibrinolytic protease produced by bacteria of the genus Bacillus has attracted large interest in the pharmaceutical industry as a promising alternative in thrombolytic therapy due to their effectiveness in degrading fibrin, its production requiring the development of an efficient recovery process. Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) have been recognized as an efficient and economical process for recovering enzymes due to their relative ease and low cost. The purpose of this work was to study the partition of fibrinolytic protease produced by Bacillus sp. UFPEDA 485 in a ATPS composed by Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and sodium sulfate using factorial design. The fibrinolytic protease production occurred in liquid culture medium containing 2% soy flour, pH 7.2, 150 rpm at 37 °C for 48 hours. To study the partitioning, was used a 23 full factorial design with four replicates at the central with the purpose of evaluating the effects and interactions of the independent variables: PEG molar mass (MMPEG), PEG concentration (CPEG) and sodium sulfate concentration (CNa2SO4) on the response variable: partition coefficient (K) of the fibrinolytic enzyme. In all the runs the enzyme partitioned to the top phase, indicating a significant interaction between the protein and the PEG. The best result was obtained at the central point, using MMPEG 6000 g/mol, CPEG 24 % and CNa2SO4 11,6 %. The partitions coefficients ranged between K = 327.63 and 2879.38. According to the results, the ATPS composed of PEG/sodium sulfate proved to be a promising method to extraction fibrinolytic protease.CAPES e CNPqinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of (S)-Pindolol using lipases

A straightforward chemoenzymatic synthesis of (S)-Pindolol has been developed. The key step involved the enzymatic kinetic resolution of rac-2-acetoxy-1-(1H-indol-4-yloxy)-3-chloropropane with lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens via hydrolytic process to obtain enantiomerically enriched halohydrin (2S)-1-(1H-indol-4-yloxy)-3-chloro-2-propanol (96% ee) and (2R)-2-acetoxy-1-(1H-indol-4-yloxy)-3-chloropropane (97% ee). The latter was subjected to a hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by Candida rugosa leading to (2R)-1-(1H-indol-4-yloxy)-3-chloro-2-propanol (97% ee), followed by a reaction with isopropylamine, producing (S)-Pindolol (97% ee) in quantitative yield

Sequential particle filter estimation of a time-dependent heat transfer coefficient in a multidimensional nonlinear inverse heat conduction problem

In the applied mathematical modelling of heat transfer systems, the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) is one of the most important parameters. This paper proposes a combination of the Method of Fundamental Solutions (MFS) with particle filter Sequential Importance Resampling (PF-SIR) to estimate the time-dependent HTC in two-dimensional transient inverse heat conduction problems from non-standard boundary integral measurements. These measurements ensure the unique solvability of the boundary coefficient identification problem. Numerical results show high performance on several test cases with both linear and nonlinear Robin boundary conditions, supporting the synergy between the MFS and simulation-based particle filter sequential analysis methods