ALBERT

Description: Dietary supplementation with oilseeds improves the fatty acid profiles of meat, but results are often inconsistent. This study aimed to assess the effects of dietary linseed and vitamin E supplementation on fatty acid profile, cholesterol content and color stability of beef samples. Dorsal subcutaneous fat samples were subjected to lipid stability assessment. Eighteen young bulls (385 ± 15 kg BW, age 8–9 months) were allocated into three homogeneous groups, each receiving ad libitum wheat straw and concentrate only (CON = 5.5 kg/day), concentrate with linseed (LIN = 80 g/kg, i.e., 440 g/head/day), and concentrate with linseed plus vitamin E (L+E = 80 g/kg, i.e., 440 g/head/day + 2500 IU/head/day of Vitamin E). Group L+E showed significantly lower cholesterol content, lower n-6/n-3 ratio and a higher PUFA percentage compared to the CON group. Meat color was affected by feeding LIN with a decrease in a*, b*, and C* compared to the CON group. The experimental diets increased H° values compared to the CON group. A positive effect of vitamin E in protecting lipids of dorsal subcutaneous depots from oxidation was detected in group L+E compared to group LIN. The supplementation with extruded linseeds in the diet had positive effects on the nutritional profile of the meat. When vitamin E was included, linseed did not alter the color of meat, and the lipid stability of the subcutaneous fat improved.

Description: In this work, we introduce and theoretically analyze a relatively simple numerical algorithm to solve a double-fractional condensate model. The mathematical system is a generalization of the famous Gross–Pitaevskii equation, which is a model consisting of two nonlinear complex-valued diffusive differential equations. The continuous model studied in this manuscript is a multidimensional system that includes Riesz-type spatial fractional derivatives. We prove here the relevant features of the numerical algorithm, and illustrative simulations will be shown to verify the quadratic order of convergence in both the space and time variables.

Description: Polymer coatings are one of the most common methods for protecting metal structures from corrosion damage. For example, in the oil and gas industry, polymer coatings are used to protect the inner surfaces of oilfield pipelines. Forecasting the service life of the coating is an unsolved problem. Existing test methods allow to assess the quality of coating application and compliance with the declared properties, for example, resistance at a certain temperature, but do not allow to understand the expected service life or degradation dynamics. One solution to this problem may be the development of existing methods of autoclave testing of coatings with the addition of more criteria for assessing degradation. This paper considers the methodological features of autoclave testing with rapid pressure relief. The decompression autoclave test was considered from the point of view of the principles of its conduct and evaluation of test results. The tests were carried out in environments containing hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. The main object of the tests was anticorrosive polymer powder coatings applied in industrial conditions. The work assessed the influence of the following factors on the test result: pressure relief time, test cycle, and coating quality. Attention was also paid to the evaluation methods; aside from the adhesion assessment, optical microscopy and the evaluation of the microhardness of coatings were used. As a result of the work carried out, it was shown that the pressure relief rate within 5 s affects the test results. An increase in micropores and a drop in the microhardness of coatings after cyclic autoclave tests were also shown. The method of assessing the degradation of coatings using microhardness also showed the convergence of the results with the traditional method of assessing adhesion. The results of the work can be used to modify the autoclave testing method and transition to resource forecasting.

Description: In this paper, the Adomian decomposition method (ADM) semi-analytical solution algorithm is applied to solve a fractional-order entanglement symmetrical chaotic system. The dynamics of the system are analyzed by the Lyapunov exponent spectrum, bifurcation diagrams, poincaré diagrams, and chaos diagrams. The results show that the systems have rich dynamics. Meanwhile, sliding mode synchronizations of fractional-order chaotic systems are investigated theoretically and numerically. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed method and potential application value of fractional-order systems.

Description: A new catalase amperometric biosensor for hydroperoxides detection has been built as part of research aimed at the development of biosensors based on layered double hydroxides (LDH) used as support for enzyme immobilization. The fabricated device differs from those developed so far, usually based on an LDH enzyme nanocomposite adsorbed on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode and cross-linked by glutaraldehyde, since it is based on an amperometric gas diffusion electrode (Clark type) instead of a GC electrode. The new biosensor, which still uses LDH synthesized by us and catalase enzyme, is robust and compact, shows a lower LOD (limit of detection) value and a linearity range shifted at lower concentrations than direct amperometric GC biosensor, but above all, it is not affected by turbidity or emulsions, or by the presence of possible soluble species, which are reduced to the cathode at the same redox potential. This made it possible to carry out accurate and efficient determination of H2O2 even in complex or cloudy real matrices, also containing very low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, such as milk and cosmetic products, i.e., matrices that would have been impossible to analyze otherwise, using conventional biosensors based on a GC–LDH enzyme. An inaccuracy ≤ 7.7% for cosmetic samples and ≤8.0% for milk samples and a precision between 0.7 and 1.5 (as RSD%), according to cosmetic or milk samples analyzed, were achieved.

Description: Fumonisin B1 (FB1) is among the most common contaminants produced by Fusarium spp. fungus from corns and animal feeds. Although FB1 has been known to cause physical or functional defects of embryos in humans and several animal species such as Syrian hamsters, rabbits, and rodents, little is known about the precise toxicity to the embryos and the underlying mechanisms have not been fully addressed. The present study aimed to investigate its developmental toxicity and potential mechanisms of action on sphingolipid metabolism in Brown Tsaiya Ducks (BTDs) embryos. We examined the effect of various FB1 dosages (0, 10, 20 and 40 µg/embryo) on BTD embryogenesis 72 h post-incubation. The sphingomyelin content of duck embryos decreased (p 〈 0.05) in the highest FB1-treated group (40 µg). Failure of neural tube closure was observed in treated embryos and the expression levels of a neurulation-related gene, sonic hedgehog (Shh) was abnormally decreased. The sphingolipid metabolism-related genes including N-acylsphingosine amidohydrolase 1 (ASAH1), and ceramide synthase 6 (CERS6) expressions were altered in the treated embryos compared to those in the control embryos. Apparently, FB1 have interfered sphingolipid metabolisms by inhibiting the functions of ceramide synthase and folate transporters. In conclusion, FB1-caused developmental retardation and abnormalities, such as neural tube defects in Brown Tsaiya Duck embryos, as well as are partly mediated by the disruption of sphingolipid metabolisms.

Description: In recent decades, geopolymer concrete (GPC) has been extensively researched as a potential substitute sustainable building material that may reduce CO2 emissions due to its utilization of industrial by-products. Fly ash (FA) and ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) are preferred geopolymer raw materials due to their obtainability and high alumina and silica concentrations. GGBFS-FA based GPC offers a clean and sustainable development technology alternative. In this study, the Taguchi method was used to optimize the mixed proportions of geopolymer concrete to achieve desired strength criteria. Four factors and four levels were considered: binder content, including four combinations of FA and GGFBS dosage, dosage of superplasticizer (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2%), Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio (1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3), and molarity (6, 8, 10 and 12). Using these ingredients and factors, the effect of compressive strength was examined. The Taguchi approach using an L16 orthogonal array was employed to find the optimum condition of every factor while limiting the number of experiments. The findings indicated that the optimum synthesis conditions for maximum compressive strength obtained from the binder comprised 45% of FA, 45% of GGBFS and 10% of silica fume, 1.5% dosage of superplasticizer, Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio = 1.5, and 12 molar contents.

Description: Reconstructing biogeographic history is challenging when dispersal biology of studied species is poorly understood, and they have undergone a complex geological past. Here, we reconstruct the origin and subsequent dispersal of coin spiders (Nephilidae: Herennia Thorell), a clade of 14 species inhabiting tropical Asia and Australasia. Specifically, we test whether the all-Asian range of Herennia multipuncta is natural vs. anthropogenic. We combine Anchored Hybrid Enrichment phylogenomic and classical marker phylogenetic data to infer species and population phylogenies. Our biogeographical analyses follow two alternative dispersal models: ballooning vs. walking. Following these assumptions and considering measured distances between geographical areas through temporal intervals, these models infer ancestral areas based on varying dispersal probabilities through geological time. We recover a wide ancestral range of Herennia including Australia, mainland SE Asia and the Philippines. Both models agree that H. multipuncta internal splits are generally too old to be influenced by humans, thereby implying its natural colonisation of Asia, but suggest quite different colonisation routes of H. multipuncta populations. The results of the ballooning model are more parsimonious as they invoke fewer chance dispersals over large distances. We speculate that coin spiders’ ancestor may have lost the ability to balloon, but that H. multipuncta regained it, thereby colonising and maintaining larger areas.

Description: The purpose of the research was the recognition of edge effects regarding similarities and differences of vascular flora in undergrowth layers in the urban forest ecotones. Four types of urban forest neighborhoods were analyzed: ecotones adjacent to the manor park, the agriculture field, housing estates and the road. The plant compositions in the forest ecotones were compared with the plant compositions in the urban forest interior and the forest nature reserve. The phytosociological type of studied forests was a subcontinental oak-hornbeam one (Tilio-Carpinetum). Diagnostic plant species (e.g., characteristic) for forests from the non-diagnostic ones were identified. Forest consistent plant species dominated in the ecotone adjacent to the manor park and in the interior of urban forests too, but the best conditions for these plants were inside the forest nature reserve, where native consistent forest plants showed the highest dominance when comparing all studied areas. A higher anthropogenic pressure from the adjacent areas results in supporting the growth of inconsistent plant species in the forests, and these plants are mostly represented by plants belonging to grass and synanthropic communities. Another conclusion drawn from our research is that the protected forest, represented by a nature reserve in the city, provides better “shelter” for native forest plants than the urban forest without any protection. Ultimately, a permanent challenge is to achieve and maintain the balance between nature and the impact of anthropogenic activities on urban forests in the city. The high quality of green areas, biodiversity, including forests, implicates possibilities of sustainable development in cities. The research results will be useful for local urban planners and ecologists during their work on strategies of city development, including shaping of green infrastructure.

Description: E-cigarettes utilize a wide range of flavoring chemicals with respiratory health effects that are not well understood. In this study, we used pulmonary-associated cell lines to assess the in vitro cytotoxic effects of 30 flavoring chemicals. Human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) and both naïve and activated macrophages (THP-1) were treated with 10, 100, and 1000 µM of flavoring chemicals and analyzed for changes in viability, cell membrane damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and inflammatory cytokine release. Viability was unaffected for all chemicals at the 10 and 100 µM concentrations. At 1000 µM, the greatest reductions in viability were seen with decanal, hexanal, nonanal, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, vanillin, alpha-pinene, and limonene. High amounts of ROS were elicited by vanillin, ethyl maltol, and the diketones (2,3-pentanedione, 2,3-heptanedione, and 2,3-hexanedione) from both cell lines. Naïve THP-1 cells produced significantly elevated levels of IL-1β, IL-8, and TNF-α when exposed to ethyl maltol and hexanal. Activated THP-1 cells released increased IL-1β and TNF-α when exposed to ethyl maltol, but many flavoring chemicals had an apparent suppressive effect on inflammatory cytokines released by activated macrophages, some with varying degrees of accompanying cytotoxicity. The diketones, L-carvone, and linalool suppressed cytokine release in the absence of cytotoxicity. These findings provide insight into lung cell cytotoxicity and inflammatory cytokine release in response to flavorings commonly used in e-cigarettes.