A method for computing synchrotron and inverse-Compton emission from hydrodynamic simulations of supernova remnants

The observational signature of supernova remnants (SNRs) is very complex, in terms of both their geometrical shape and their spectral properties, dominated by non-thermal synchrotron and inverse-Compton scattering. We propose a post-processing method to analyse the broad-band emission of SNRs based on three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations. From the hydrodynamical data, we estimate the distribution of non-thermal electrons accelerated at the shock wave and follow the subsequent evolution as they lose or gain energy by adiabatic expansion or compression and emit energy by radiation. As a first test case, we use a simulation of a bipolar supernova expanding into a cloudy medium. We find that our method qualitatively reproduces the main observational features of typical SNRs and produces fluxes that agree with observations to within a factor of a few. allowing for further use in more extended sets of models.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures; accepted, HEDLA 2014 special issue of High Energy Density Physic

Understanding and Predicting Protein Assemblies With 3D Structures

Protein interactions are central to most biological processes, and are currently the subject of great interest. Yet despite the many recently developed methods for interaction discovery, little attention has been paid to one of the best sources of data: complexes of known three-dimensional (3D) structure. Here we discuss how such complexes can be used to study and predict protein interactions and complexes, and to interrogate interaction networks proposed by methods such as two-hybrid screens or affinity purifications

Food Intake Biomarkers for Increasing the Efficiency of Dietary Pattern Assessment through the Use of Metabolomics: Unforeseen Research Requirements for Addressing Current Gaps

Current research on nutritional sciences depends upon the precise measurement of food intake. Despite being the most widely used dietary measurement tools, self-reported surveys are not exempt from already recognized limitations.(1, 2) Low dietary assessment accuracy contributes to the inconsistency of results already observed in many instances when trying to understand the connections between diet and healthiness or disease risk, thereby weakening their potential translation to clinical and public health applications.(1) The drawbacks of conventional instruments have encouraged research on food intake biomarkers (FIBs) as a complementary or alternative measure of dietary intake, being one of the cornerstones of nutritional epidemiology.(1) FIBs are those food compounds or food-derived metabolites that allow for recent or average intakes of specific food groups, foods, or food components to be objectively and accurately measured in a biological specimen.(3) They are assumed to be a more accurate measurement of dietary exposure than self-reported consumption because they cover the bioavailability of dietary compounds and allow for the drawbacks of composition tables, portion estimation, and subjectivity, among other things, to be handled. However, there are still some gaps that have to be addressed for such biomarkers to reach their full potential for the community. These are related to their specificity, interindividual variation, validation, and quantification. These aspects will be outlined in the following paragraphs

Relativistic Jets from Collapsars

We have studied the relativistic beamed outflow proposed to occur in the collapsar model of gamma-ray bursts. A jet forms as a consequence of an assumed energy deposition of $\sim 10^{50}- 10^{51}$ erg/s within a $30^{\circ}$ cone around the rotation axis of the progenitor star. The generated jet flow is strongly beamed (\la few degrees) and reaches the surface of the stellar progenitor (r $\approx 3 10^{10}$cm) intact. At break-out the maximum Lorentz factor of the jet flow is about 33. Simulations have been performed with the GENESIS multi-dimensional relativistic hydrodynamic code.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the conference "Godunov methods: theory and applications", Oxford, October 199

High--Resolution 3D Simulations of Relativistic Jets

We have performed high-resolution 3D simulations of relativistic jets with beam flow Lorentz factors up to 7, a spatial resolution of 8 cells per beam radius, and for up to 75 normalized time units to study the morphology and dynamics of 3D relativistic jets. Our simulations show that the coherent fast backflows found in axisymmetric models are not present in 3D models. We further find that when the jet is exposed to non-axisymmetric perturbations, (i) it does not display the strong perturbations found for 3D classical hydrodynamic and MHD jets (at least during the period of time covered by our simulations), and (ii) it does propagate according to the 1D estimate. Small 3D effects in the relativistic beam give rise to a lumpy distribution of apparent speeds like that observed in M87. The beam is surrounded by a boundary layer of high specific internal energy. The properties of this layer are briefly discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures. Accepted to be publish in the ApJ Letters. Tar+gzip documen

Comparative metabolitefingerprinting of legumes using LC-MS-baseduntargeted metabolomics

Legumes are a well-known source of phytochemicals and are commonly believed to have similar composition between different genera. To date, there are no studies evaluating changes in legumes to discover those compounds that help to discriminate for food quality and authenticity. The aim of this work was to characterize and make a comparative analysis of the composition of bioactive compounds between Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea), Lens culinaris L. (lentil) and Phaseolus vulgaris L. (white bean) through an LC-MS-Orbitrap metabolomic approach to establish which compounds discriminate between the three studied legumes. Untargeted metabolomic analysis was carried out by LC-MS-Orbitrap from extracts of freeze-dried legumes prepared from pre-cooked canned legumes. The metabolomic data treatment and statistical analysis were realized by using MAIT R's package, and final identification and characterization was done using MSn experiments. Fold-change evaluation was made through Metaboanalyst 4.0. Results showed 43 identified and characterized compounds displaying differences between the three legumes. Polyphenols, mainly flavonol and flavanol compounds, were the main group with 30 identified compounds, followed by α-galactosides (n = 5). Fatty acyls, prenol lipids, a nucleoside and organic compounds were also characterized. The fold-change analysis showed flavanols as the wider class of discriminative compounds of lentils compared to the other legumes; prenol lipids and eucomic acids were the most discriminative compounds of beans versus other legumes and several phenolic acids (such as primeveroside salycilic), kaempferol derivatives, coumesterol and α-galactosides were the most discriminative compounds of chickpeas. This study highlights the applicability of metabolomics for evaluating which are the characteristic compounds of the different legumes. In addition, it describes the future application of metabolomics as tool for the quality control of foods and authentication of different kinds of legumes

Phytochemicals in Legumes: A Qualitative Reviewed Analysis

Legumes are an excellent source of nutrients and phytochemicals. They have been recognized for their contributions to health, sustainability, and the economy. Although legumes comprise several species and varieties, little is known about the differences in their phytochemical composition and the magnitude of these. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe and compare the qualitative profile of phytochemicals contained in legumes and identified through LC-MS and GC-MS methods. Among the 478 phytochemicals reported in 52 varieties of legumes, phenolic compounds were by far the most frequently described (n = 405, 85%). Metabolomics data analysis tools were used to visualize the qualitative differences, showing beans to be the most widely analyzed legumes and those with the highest number of discriminant phytochemicals (n = 180, 38%). A Venn diagram showed that lentils, beans, soybeans, and chickpeas shared only 7% of their compounds. This work highlighted the huge chemical diversity among legumes and identified the need for further research in this field and the use of metabolomics as a promising tool to achieve it

Trends in survival among extremely-low-birth-weight infants (less than 1000 g)without significant bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the evolution from 1997 to 2009 of survival without significant (moderate and severe) bronchopulmonary dysplasia (SWsBPD) in extremely-low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants and to determine the influence of changes in resuscitation, nutrition and mechanical ventilation on the survival rate. Study design In this study, 415 premature infants with birth weights below 1000 g (ELBW) were divided into three chronological subgroups: 1997 to 2000 (n = 65), 2001 to 2005 (n = 178) and 2006 to 2009 (n = 172). Between 1997 and 2000, respiratory resuscitation in the delivery room was performed via a bag and mask (Ambu®, Ballerup, Sweden) with 40-50% oxygen. If this procedure was not effective, oral endotracheal intubation was always performed. Pulse oximetry was never used. Starting on January 1, 2001, a change in the delivery room respiratory policy was established for ELBW infants. Oxygenation and heart rate were monitored using a pulse oximeter (Nellcor®) attached to the newborn"s right hand. If resuscitation was required, ventilation was performed using a face mask, and intermittent positive pressure was controlled via a ventilator (Babylog2, Drägger). In 2001, a policy of aggressive nutrition was also initiated with the early provision of parenteral amino acids. We used standardized parenteral nutrition to feed ELBW infants during the first 1224 hours of life. Lipids were given on the first day. The glucose concentration administered was increased by 1 mg/kg/minute each day until levels reached 8 mg/kg/minute. Enteral nutrition was started with trophic feeding of milk. In 2006, volume guarantee treatment was instituted and administered together with synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV + VG). The complications of prematurity were treated similarly throughout the study period. Patent ductus arteriosus was only treated when hemodynamically significant. Surgical closure of the patent ductus arteriosus was performed when two courses of indomethacin or ibuprofen were not sufficient to close it. Mild BPD were defined by a supplemental oxygen requirement at 28 days of life and moderate BPD if breathing room air or a need for <30% oxygen at 36 weeks postmenstrual age or discharge from the NICU, whichever came first. Severe BPD was defined by a supplemental oxygen requirement at 28 days of life and a need for greater than or equal to 30% oxygen use and/or positive pressure support (IPPV or nCPAP) at 36 weeks postmenstrual age or discharge, whichever came first. Moderate and severe BPD have been considered together as"significant BPD". The goal of pulse oximetry was to maintain a hemoglobin saturation of between 88% and 93%. Patients were considered to not need oxygen supplementation when it could be permanently withdrawn....

Cocoa polyphenols and inflammatory markers of cardiovascular disease

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the beneficial effect of plant-derived food intake in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The potential bioactivity of cocoa and its polyphenolic components in modulating cardiovascular health is now being studied worldwide and continues to grow at a rapid pace. In fact, the high polyphenol content of cocoa is of particular interest from the nutritional and pharmacological viewpoints. Cocoa polyphenols are shown to possess a range of cardiovascular-protective properties, and can play a meaningful role through modulating different inflammatory markers involved in atherosclerosis. Accumulated evidence on related anti-inflammatory effects of cocoa polyphenols is summarized in the present review

Biomarkers of legume intake in human intervention and observational studies: A systematic review

There is a growing interest in assessing dietary intake more accurately across different population groups, and biomarkers have emerged as a complementary tool to replace traditional dietary assessment methods. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature available and evaluate the applicability and validity of biomarkers of legume intake reported across various observational and intervention studies. A systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Knowledge identified 44 studies which met the inclusion criteria for the review. Results from observational studies focused on soy or soy-based foods and demonstrated positive correlations between soy intake and urinary, plasma or serum isoflavonoid levels in different population groups. Similarly, intervention studies demonstrated increased genistein and daidzein levels in urine and plasma following soy intake. Both genistein and daidzein exhibited dose-response relationships. Other isoflavonoid levels such as O-desmethylangolensin (O-DMA) and equol were also reported to increase following soy consumption. Using a developed scoring system, genistein and daidzein can be considered as promising candidate markers for soy consumption. Furthermore, genistein and daidzein also served as good estimates of soy intake as evidenced from long-term exposure studies marking their status as validated biomarkers. On the contrary, only few studies indicated proposed biomarkers for pulses intake, with pipecolic acid and S-methylcysteine reported as markers reflecting dry bean consumption, unsaturated aliphatic, hydroxyl-dicarboxylic acid related to green beans intake and trigonelline reported as marker of peas consumption. However, data regarding criteria such as specificity, dose-response and time-response relationship, reliability, and feasibility to evaluate the validity of these markers is lacking. In conclusion, despite many studies suggesting proposed biomarkers for soy, there is a lack of information on markers of other different subtypes of legumes. Further discovery and validation studies are needed in order to identify reliable biomarkers of legume intake