We describe new implementations of leptonic and hadronic models for the broadband emission from relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei in a temporary steady state. For the leptonic model, a ...temporary equilibrium between particle injection/acceleration, radiative cooling, and escape from a spherical emission region is evaluated, and the self-consistent radiative output is calculated. For the hadronic model, a temporary equilibrium between particle injection/acceleration, radiative and adiabatic cooling, and escape is evaluated for both primary electrons and protons. A new, semianalytical method to evaluate the radiative output from cascades initiated by internal gamma gamma pair production is presented. We use our codes to fit snapshot spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of a representative set of Fermi-LAT-detected blazars. We find that the leptonic model provides acceptable fits to the SEDs of almost all blazars with parameters close to equipartition between the magnetic field and the relativistic electron population. However, the hard gamma -ray spectrum of AO 0235+164, in contrast to the very steep IR-optical-UV continuum, poses a severe problem for the leptonic model. If charge neutrality in leptonic models is provided by cold protons, the kinetic energy carried by the jet should be dominated by protons. We find satisfactory representations of the snapshot SEDs of most blazars in our sample with the hadronic model presented here. However, in the case of two quasars the characteristic break at a few GeV energies cannot be well modeled. All of our hadronic model fits require powers in relativistic protons in the range Lp ~ 10 super(47)-10 super(49) erg s super(-1).
In May 2019, the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) convened a panel of nutritionists, physiologists and microbiologists to review the definition and scope of ...synbiotics. The panel updated the definition of a synbiotic to "a mixture comprising live microorganisms and substrate(s) selectively utilized by host microorganisms that confers a health benefit on the host". The panel concluded that defining synbiotics as simply a mixture of probiotics and prebiotics could suppress the innovation of synbiotics that are designed to function cooperatively. Requiring that each component must meet the evidence and dose requirements for probiotics and prebiotics individually could also present an obstacle. Rather, the panel clarified that a complementary synbiotic, which has not been designed so that its component parts function cooperatively, must be composed of a probiotic plus a prebiotic, whereas a synergistic synbiotic does not need to be so. A synergistic synbiotic is a synbiotic for which the substrate is designed to be selectively utilized by the co-administered microorganisms. This Consensus Statement further explores the levels of evidence (existing and required), safety, effects upon targets and implications for stakeholders of the synbiotic concept.
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FZAB, GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
In December 2016, a panel of experts in microbiology, nutrition and clinical research was convened by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics to review the definition ...and scope of prebiotics. Consistent with the original embodiment of prebiotics, but aware of the latest scientific and clinical developments, the panel updated the definition of a prebiotic: a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit. This definition expands the concept of prebiotics to possibly include non-carbohydrate substances, applications to body sites other than the gastrointestinal tract, and diverse categories other than food. The requirement for selective microbiota-mediated mechanisms was retained. Beneficial health effects must be documented for a substance to be considered a prebiotic. The consensus definition applies also to prebiotics for use by animals, in which microbiota-focused strategies to maintain health and prevent disease is as relevant as for humans. Ultimately, the goal of this Consensus Statement is to engender appropriate use of the term 'prebiotic' by relevant stakeholders so that consistency and clarity can be achieved in research reports, product marketing and regulatory oversight of the category. To this end, we have reviewed several aspects of prebiotic science including its development, health benefits and legislation.
The aim of the book is to provide an understanding of the current science underpinning Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) and to provide students and interested researchers with sufficient ...background on the basics of Chemical Engineering, Material Science, and Geology that they can understand the current state of the art of the research in the field of CCS. In addition, the book provides a comprehensive discussion of the impact of CCS on the energy landscape, society, and climate as these topics govern the success of the science being done in this field.
Pre-mRNA processing steps are tightly coordinated with transcription in many organisms. To determine how co-transcriptional splicing is integrated with transcription elongation and 3′ end formation ...in mammalian cells, we performed long-read sequencing of individual nascent RNAs and precision run-on sequencing (PRO-seq) during mouse erythropoiesis. Splicing was not accompanied by transcriptional pausing and was detected when RNA polymerase II (Pol II) was within 75–300 nucleotides of 3′ splice sites (3′SSs), often during transcription of the downstream exon. Interestingly, several hundred introns displayed abundant splicing intermediates, suggesting that splicing delays can take place between the two catalytic steps. Overall, splicing efficiencies were correlated among introns within the same transcript, and intron retention was associated with inefficient 3′ end cleavage. Remarkably, a thalassemia patient-derived mutation introducing a cryptic 3′SS improved both splicing and 3′ end cleavage of individual β-globin transcripts, demonstrating functional coupling between the two co-transcriptional processes as a determinant of productive gene output.
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•Most introns in differentiating murine erythroblasts are spliced co-transcriptionally•Long-read sequencing of nascent RNA reveals coordinated removal of multiple introns•Pol II pausing is not significantly detected at splice sites•Co-transcriptional splicing efficiency influences 3′ end cleavage efficiency
Does rapid splicing after intron transcription promote mammalian gene expression? Reimer et al. report that most introns are removed when Pol II is located within the downstream exon, suggesting that proximity to the spliceosome supports regulation. Introns within single transcripts were coordinately spliced, and efficient splicing promoted 3′ end cleavage.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Aspartame consumption is implicated in the development of obesity and metabolic disease despite the intention of limiting caloric intake. The mechanisms responsible for this association remain ...unclear, but may involve circulating metabolites and the gut microbiota. Aims were to examine the impact of chronic low-dose aspartame consumption on anthropometric, metabolic and microbial parameters in a diet-induced obese model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into a standard chow diet (CH, 12% kcal fat) or high fat (HF, 60% kcal fat) and further into ad libitum water control (W) or low-dose aspartame (A, 5-7 mg/kg/d in drinking water) treatments for 8 week (n = 10-12 animals/treatment). Animals on aspartame consumed fewer calories, gained less weight and had a more favorable body composition when challenged with HF compared to animals consuming water. Despite this, aspartame elevated fasting glucose levels and an insulin tolerance test showed aspartame to impair insulin-stimulated glucose disposal in both CH and HF, independently of body composition. Fecal analysis of gut bacterial composition showed aspartame to increase total bacteria, the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae and Clostridium leptum. An interaction between HF and aspartame was also observed for Roseburia ssp wherein HF-A was higher than HF-W (P<0.05). Within HF, aspartame attenuated the typical HF-induced increase in the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio. Serum metabolomics analysis revealed aspartame to be rapidly metabolized and to be associated with elevations in the short chain fatty acid propionate, a bacterial end product and highly gluconeogenic substrate, potentially explaining its negative affects on insulin tolerance. How aspartame influences gut microbial composition and the implications of these changes on the development of metabolic disease require further investigation.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The imine linkages of two layered, porous covalent organic frameworks (COFs), TPB-TP-COF (C6H3(C6H4N)32C6H4(CH)23, 1) and 4PE-1P-COF (C2(C6H4N)4C6H4(CH)22, 2), have been transformed into amide ...linkages to make the respective isostructural amide COFs 1′ and 2′ by direct oxidation with retention of crystallinity and permanent porosity. Remarkably, the oxidation of both imine COFs is complete, as assessed by FT-IR and 13C CP-MAS NMR spectroscopy and demonstrates (a) the first chemical conversion of a COF linkage and (b) how the usual “crystallization problem” encountered in COF chemistry can be bypassed to access COFs, such as these amides, that are typically thought to be difficult to obtain by the usual de novo methods. The amide COFs show improved chemical stability relative to their imine progenitors.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Rodent studies show that oligofructose promotes weight loss, stimulates satiety hormone secretion, reduces energy intake, and improves lipid profiles.
Our objective was to examine the effects of ...oligofructose supplementation on body weight and satiety hormone concentrations in overweight and obese adults.
This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Forty-eight otherwise healthy adults with a body mass index (in kg/m2) > 25 were randomly assigned to receive 21 g oligofructose/d or a placebo (maltodextrin) for 12 wk. Body composition (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry); meal tolerance tests, including satiety hormone response; food intake; and subjective appetite ratings were determined.
There was a reduction in body weight of 1.03 +/- 0.43 kg with oligofructose supplementation, whereas the control group experienced an increase in body weight of 0.45 +/- 0.31 kg over 12 wk (P = 0.01). A lower area under the curve (AUC) for ghrelin (P = 0.004) and a higher AUC for peptide YY (PYY) with oligofructose (P = 0.03) coincided with a reduction in self-reported caloric intake (P < or = 0.05). Glucose decreased in the oligofructose group and increased in the control group between initial and final tests (P < or = 0.05). Insulin concentrations mirrored this pattern (P < or = 0.05). Oligofructose supplementation did not affect plasma active glucagon-like peptide 1 secretion. According to a visual analog scale designed to assess side effects, oligofructose was well tolerated.
Independent of other lifestyle changes, oligofructose supplementation has the potential to promote weight loss and improve glucose regulation in overweight adults. Suppressed ghrelin and enhanced PYY may contribute in part to the reduction in energy intake. The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00522353.
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CMK, GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Conversion of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) to value-added products is an important challenge for sustainable energy research, and nanomaterials offer a broad class of heterogeneous ...catalysts for such transformations. Here we report a molecular surface functionalization approach to tuning gold nanoparticle (Au NP) electrocatalysts for reduction of CO2 to CO. The N-heterocyclic (NHC) carbene-functionalized Au NP catalyst exhibits improved faradaic efficiency (FE = 83%) for reduction of CO2 to CO in water at neutral pH at an overpotential of 0.46 V with a 7.6-fold increase in current density compared to that of the parent Au NP (FE = 53%). Tafel plots of the NHC carbene-functionalized Au NP (72 mV/decade) vs parent Au NP (138 mV/decade) systems further show that the molecular ligand influences mechanistic pathways for CO2 reduction. The results establish molecular surface functionalization as a complementary approach to size, shape, composition, and defect control for nanoparticle catalyst design.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Massive stars in binary systems have long been regarded as potential sources of high-energy gamma rays. The emission is principally thought to arise in the region where the stellar winds collide and ...accelerate relativistic particles which subsequently emit gamma rays. On the basis of a three-dimensional distribution function of high-energy particles in the wind collision region-as obtained by a numerical hydrodynamics and particle transport model-we present the computation of the three-dimensional nonthermal photon emission for a given line of sight. Anisotropic inverse Compton emission is modeled using the target radiation field of both stars. Photons from relativistic bremsstrahlung and neutial pion decay are computed on the basis of local wind plasma densities. We also consider photon-photon opacity effects due to the dense radiation fields of the stars. Results are shown for different stellar separations of a given binary system comprising of a B star and a Wolf-Rayet star. The influence of orbital orientation with respect to the line of sight is also studied by using different orbital viewing angles. For the chosen electron-proton injection ratio of 10 super(-2), we present the ensuing photon emission in terms of two-dimensional projections maps, spectral energy distributions, and integrated photon flux values in various energy bands. Here, we find a transition from hadron-dominated to lepton-dominated high-energy emission with increasing stellar separations. In addition, we confirm findings from previous analytic modeling that the spectral energy distribution varies significantly with orbital orientation.
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