Production of health rice-based drink: use of ultrasound-attenuated lactic acid bacteria and yeasts

Abstract “Production of health rice-based drink: use of ultrasound-attenuated lactic acid bacteria and yeasts” The main goal of this PhD thesis was the optimization of a flow-chart for the production of a cereal-beverage inoculated with lactic acid bacteria and yeasts; moreover, a special focus was the use of a physical approach (homogenization and ultrasound) to avoid the post-acidification throughout the storage of the beverage at 4°C. The PhD project consists of 3 different steps: Step 1: Screening on yeast metabolism by using a head-space gas analyzing approach and viability and acidification in an organic rice-drink. The final goal of this step was to choose the best yeast. Step 2: Metabolism of lactic acid bacteria: cell viability and pH change in cereal-based media and rice drink. Latcobacillus plantarum strain 12 and Lactobacillus reuteri were used as targets. Step 3: Attenuation of the best strains through homogenization and ultrasound and confirmation of the results on two commercially available probiotics (Lactobacillus casei LC01 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB12). As an additional goal of this last step, the best strains were also combined with β-glucans, added as healthy compounds; thus, I studied the effects of this combination on the sensory scores. Riassunto “Produzione di una bevanda salutistica a base di riso: uso di batteri lattici e lieviti attenuati mediante ultrasuoni” L'obiettivo principale di questa tesi di dottorato è stata l’ottimizzazione di un diagramma di flusso per la produzione di una bevanda di cereali inoculata con batteri lattici e lieviti; inoltre, particolare attenzione è stata rivolta all'uso di un approccio fisico (omogeneizzazione e ultrasuoni) per evitare la post-acidificazione durante la conservazione della bevanda a 4°C. Il progetto di dottorato consiste in 3 diverse fasi: Fase 1: Screening sul metabolismo dei lieviti mediante valutazione della CO2 prodotta nello spazio di testa e della vitalità e dell’acidificazione in una bevanda di riso biologica. L'obiettivo finale di questa fase è stato quello di scegliere il migliore lievito. Fase 2: Metabolismo dei batteri lattici: studio della vitalità cellulare e del pH in sistemi modello a base di cereali e in una bevanda di riso. Lactobacillus plantarum strain 12 e Lactobacillus reuteri sono stati usati come target. Fase 3: Attenuazione dei migliori ceppi mediante omogeneizzazione e ultrasuoni e conferma dei risultati su due probioici disponibili in commercio (Lactobacillus casei LC01 e Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB12). Come ulteriore obiettivo di questo ultima fase, i migliori ceppi sono stati combinati con β-glucani, aggiunti come composti salutistici, valutandone gli effetti sulle caratteristiche sensoriali

Low impact of different SNP panels from two building-loci pipelines on RAD-Seq population genomic metrics: case study on five diverse aquatic species

The irruption of Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and restriction site-associated DNA sequencing(RAD-seq) in the last decade has led to the identification of thousands of molecular markers and their genotyping for refined genomic screening. This approach has been especially useful for non-model organisms with limited genomic resources. Many building-loci pipelines have been developed to obtain robust single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) genotyping datasets using a de novo RAD-seq approach, i.e. without reference genomes.Here, the performances of two building-loci pipelines, STACKS 2 and Meyer’s 2b-RAD v2.1 pipeline, were compared using a diverse set of aquatic species representing different genomic and/or population structure scenarios. Two bivalve species (Manila clam and common edible cockle) and three fish species (brown trout, silver catfish and small-spotted catshark) were studied. Four SNP panels were evaluated in each species to test both different building-loci pipelines and criteria for SNP selection. Furthermore, for Manila clam and brown trout, a reference genome approach was used as control

Contemporary Architecture in Genoa since 1945—Knowledge and Use through Geoservices for the Citizen

The paper illustrates the enhancement of knowledge of architecture from 1945 onwards in Genoa by means of the publication on the Geoportal of the Municipality, which was developed with open-source systems, of a proper dataset and tools for digital storytelling for citizens. The implementation on the municipal Geoportal of a section called “Contemporary Architecture from 1945 onwards in Genoa” was made possible through collaboration between the University of Genoa Architecture and Design Department (DAD) and the Municipality of Genoa Office for Geographical Information Systems. The data related to the buildings in the Municipality of Genoa were extracted from a previous study about contemporary architecture in Liguria carried out by DAD. The case study introduced two tools for the promotion and enhancement of knowledge of such architecture, a map on which the buildings are located and associated with an information form and geostories with in-depth information on selected buildings, the latter of which can be sorted based on thematic itineraries or by author. The use of integrated services contributes to the competitiveness and sustainability of the city, raising citizens’ awareness of the value of the architecture of the second half of the 20th century and thus activating conservation processes as advocated in the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations General Assembly

Hierarchical psychophysiological pathways subtend perceptual asymmetries in Neglect

Stroke patients with left Hemispatial Neglect (LHN) show deficits in perceiving left contralesional stimuli with biased visuospatial perception towards the right hemifield. However, very little is known about the functional organization of the visuospatial perceptual neural network and how this can account for the profound reorganization of space representation in LHN. In the present work, we aimed at (1) identifying EEG measures that discriminate LHN patients against controls and (2) devise a causative neurophysiological model between the discriminative EEG measures. To these aims, EEG was recorded during exposure to lateralized visual stimuli which allowed for pre-and post-stimulus activity investigation across three groups: LHN patients, lesioned controls, and healthy individuals. Moreover, all participants performed a standard behavioral test assessing the perceptual asymmetry index in detecting lateralized stimuli. The between-groups discriminative EEG patterns were entered into a Structural Equation Model for the identification of causative hierarchical associations (i.e., pathways) between EEG measures and the perceptual asymmetry index. The model identified two pathways. A first pathway showed that the combined contribution of pre-stimulus frontoparietal connectivity and individual-alpha-frequency predicts post-stimulus processing, as measured by visual-evoked N100, which, in turn, predicts the perceptual asymmetry index. A second pathway directly links the inter-hemispheric distribution of alpha-amplitude with the perceptual asymmetry index. The two pathways can collectively explain 83.1% of the variance in the perceptual asymmetry index. Using causative modeling, the present study identified how psychophysiological correlates of visuospatial perception are organized and predict the degree of behavioral asymmetry in LHN patients and controls

Diffusion MRI signal cumulants and hepatocyte microstructure at fixed diffusion time: insights from simulations, 9.4T imaging, and histology

Histology; Liver; MicrostructureHistología; Hígado; MicroestructuraHistologia; Fetge; MicroestructuraPurpose Relationships between diffusion-weighted MRI signals and hepatocyte microstructure were investigated to inform liver diffusion MRI modeling, focusing on the following question: Can cell size and diffusivity be estimated at fixed diffusion time, realistic SNR, and negligible contribution from extracellular/extravascular water and exchange? Methods Monte Carlo simulations were performed within synthetic hepatocytes for varying cell size/diffusivity L / D0 , and clinical protocols (single diffusion encoding; maximum b-value: {1000, 1500, 2000} s/mm2; 5 unique gradient duration/separation pairs; SNR = { ∞ , 100, 80, 40, 20}), accounting for heterogeneity in (D0,L) and perfusion contamination. Diffusion ( D ) and kurtosis ( K ) coefficients were calculated, and relationships between (D0,L) and (D,K) were visualized. Functions mapping (D,K) to (D0,L) were computed to predict unseen (D0,L) values, tested for their ability to classify discrete cell-size contrasts, and deployed on 9.4T ex vivo MRI-histology data of fixed mouse livers Results Relationships between (D,K) and (D0,L) are complex and depend on the diffusion encoding. Functions mapping (D,K) to (D0,L) captures salient characteristics of D0(D,K) and L(D,K) dependencies. Mappings are not always accurate, but they enable just under 70% accuracy in a three-class cell-size classification task (for SNR = 20, bmax = 1500 s/mm2, δ = 20 ms, and Δ = 75 ms). MRI detects cell-size contrasts in the mouse livers that are confirmed by histology, but overestimates the largest cell sizes. Conclusion Salient information about liver cell size and diffusivity may be retrieved from minimal diffusion encodings at fixed diffusion time, in experimental conditions and pathological scenarios for which extracellular, extravascular water and exchange are negligible.This project was supported by Fundació La Caixa and by the investigator-initiated PREdICT study at the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (Barcelona), funded by AstraZeneca and supporting FG. FG has received funding from the postdoctoral fellowships programme Beatriu de Pinós (2020 BP 00117), funded by the Secretary of Universities and Research (Government of Catalonia). KB is funded by a Beatriu de Pinós post-doctoral grant (2019 BP 00182). RPL is supported by a CRIS Foundation Talent Award (TALENT19-05), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Investigación en Salud (PI18/01395), Spanish Ministry for Science, Innovation and Universities (RTI2018-095209-B-C21, FIS-G64384969), Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award and Fero Foundation. ICS is supported by a fellowship from Fundació ”la Caixa” (ID 100010434) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 847648, fellowship code LCF/BQ/PI20/117600