The dengue virus NS1 protein has been shown to be a protective antigen under different experimental conditions but the recombinant protein produced in bacterial expression systems is usually not ...soluble and loses structural and immunological features of the native viral protein. In the present study, experimental conditions leading to purification and refolding of the recombinant dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2) NS1 protein expressed in
Escherichia coli are described. The refolded recombinant protein was recovered as heat-stable soluble dimers with preserved structural features, as demonstrated by spectroscopic methods. In addition, antibodies against epitopes of the NS1 protein expressed in eukaryotic cells recognized the refolded protein expressed in
E. coli but not the denatured form or the same protein submitted to a different refolding condition. Collectively, the results demonstrate that the recombinant NS1 protein preserved important conformation and antigenic determinants of the native virus protein and represents a valuable reagent either for the development of vaccines or for diagnostic methods.
In this work, the authors present as an innovation, the homogeneous sulfonation of Udel® polysulfone (PSU) with acetylsulfate (ACS) under reflux at 45°C in dichloromethane and inert N2 atmosphere (g) ...for 1.5 h. Different proportions of ACS were used, obtaining sulfonated products with varying degrees of sulfonation (DS). Confirmation of sulfonated polysulfone (PSU-S), denominated as PSU-SA (high degree of sulfonation) and PSU-SB (low degree of sulfonation), was carried out by FTIR and 1H NMR. Determination of DS was carried out through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DSC), varying indexes between 0.883 and 3.022, which correspond to a sulfonated polymer with ion exchange capacity (IEC) from 1.720 to 4.400 meq/g. The evolution of DS related to methods used was monitored and confirmed by 1H NRM. Sulfonation is undertaken to enhance the suitability of this polymer for future applications in the production of biofuels, targeting its utilization in catalytic processes for esterification and transesterification mechanisms of oils and fats.
The synthesis and structural characterization of the first examples of microporous europium(III) and terbium(III) silicates (Na4K2X2Si16O38·10H2O, X = Eu, Tb) are reported. The structure of these ...solids was solved by powder X-ray diffraction ab initio (direct) methods and further characterized by chemical analysis (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), 23Na and 29Si magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR, and luminescence spectroscopy. Both materials display interesting photoluminescence properties and present potential for applications in optoelectronics. This work illustrates the possibility of combining in a given silicate microporosity and optical activity.
During the past 15 years, polymethylmethacrylate has been used as a synthetic permanent filler for soft-tissue augmentation.
This article reports 32 cases of complications seen at Hospital das ...Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, for procedures performed elsewhere.
The average age of the patients was 43.6 years (range, 22 to 70 years). Twenty-five patients were women. Sixteen injection procedures were performed by certified plastic surgeons, nine by dermatologists, two by urologists, and one by a nonphysician. Complications were classified into five groups according to main presentation as follows: tissue necrosis (five cases), an acute complication that can be related to technical mistakes but that can also be dependent on patient factors or caused by local infection; granuloma (10 cases), which usually presents as a subacute complication 6 to 12 months after the procedure; chronic inflammatory reactions (10 cases), which usually occur years later and can be related to a triggering event, such as another operation or infection in the area that was injected (these reactions are immunogenic in origin and may have cyclic periods of activation and remission); chronic inflammatory reaction in the lips (six cases), which may be present with severe symptoms, especially with lymphedema, because of mobility of the lip; and infections (one case), which are rare but possible complications after filling procedures.
Polymethylmethacrylate filler complications, despite being rare, are often permanent and difficult or even impossible to treat. Safety guidelines should be observed when considering use of polymethylmethacrylate for augmentation.
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•NIRS can be used in soybean breeding programs to discriminate superior genotypes.•NIRS can be used in breeding programs to predict the oil content of intact grains.•GA-LDA resulted ...in a high discrimination accuracy (88.89% - prediction set).•PLSR oil prediction models presented low RMSEP (0.96%) and adequate R2 (0.66).
In soybean (Glycine max L.) breeding programs, segregation is normally observed, and it is not possible to have replicates of individuals because each genotype is a unique copy. Therefore, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used as a non-destructive tool to classify soybeans by genotypes and to predict oil content. A total of 260 soybean genotypes were divided into five classes, which were composed of 32, 52, 82, 46, and 49 samples of the BV, BVV, EB, JAB, and L class, respectively. NIR spectra were obtained using oven-dried samples (80 g) in a reflectance mode. A successive projection algorithm and genetic algorithm with linear discriminant analysis discriminated genotypes of the low (L class) from the high (EB class) for oil content (88.89% accuracy). The partial least square regression models for oil content were considered good (root mean square error of prediction of 0.96%). Therefore, NIRS can be used as a non-destructive tool in soybean breeding programs, but further investigation is necessary to improve the robustness of the models. It is important to note that to use the models, it is necessary to collect NIR spectra from dry soybean samples.
One of the most important quality traits in popcorn breeding programs is the popping expansion (PE) capacity of the kernel, which is the ratio of the volume of the popcorn to the weight of the ...kernel. In this study, we evaluated whether near infrared spectroscopy (NIR spectroscopy) could be used as a tool in popcorn breeding programs to routinely predict and/or discriminate popcorn genotypes on the basis of their PE. Three generations (F1, F2, and F2:3) were developed in three planting seasons by manual cross-pollination and self-pollination. A total of 376 ears from the F2:3 generation were selected, shelled, and subjected to phenotypic analysis. Genetic variability was observed in the F2 and F2:3 generations, and their average PE value was 31.5 ± 6.7 mL g−1. PE prediction models using partial least square (PLS) regression were developed, and the root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) was 6.08 mL g−1, while the coefficient of determination (RC2) was 0.26. The model developed by principal component analysis with quadratic discriminant analysis (PCA-QDA) was the best for discriminating the kernels with low PE (≤30 mL g−1) from those with high PE (>30 mL g−1) with an accuracy of 78%, sensitivity of 81.2%, and specificity of 72.2%. Although NIR spectroscopy appears to be a promising non-destructive method for assessing the PE of intact popcorn kernels for narrow breeding populations, greater variability and larger sample sizes would help improve the robustness of the predictive and classificatory models.
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•PLS regression using raw spectra could be used to predict PE in intact popcorn kernels.•PCA-QDA is better model to classify PE.•NIR spectroscopy is a new option to select popcorn genotype in a breeding program.
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•Energy factors were obtained for gasoline and ethanol fueled engines and vehicles.•Use of 3D engine BFSC maps produced consistent results for flexible fuel engines.•Energy conversion ...factor for E22 was 0.43 L/kW h, from laboratory and road tests.•Energy conversion factor for E100 was 0.62 L/kW h, from laboratory and road tests.
This work investigates the energy factors for fuel conversion from the analysis of brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) maps of a sample of 15 engines, representative of 75% of current models available in the Brazilian market. The method also employs the engine driving patterns of power output versus crankshaft speed obtained from bench dynamometer tests. The energy factors obtained from the engine analysis was validated against experiments carried out with two production vehicles in laboratory tests following the 1975 US Federal Test Procedure (FTP-75) procedure and road tests following 16 different urban and highway routes. The fuels used in the tests were hydrous ethanol (E100, 6 v/v % water) and a blend of 22 v/v % anhydrous ethanol and 78 v/v % gasoline (E22). The energy factors found from the 3D engine BSFC map analysis were higher than those obtained from the Willans line, currently adopted as a standard, by 52% for E22 and 57% for E100. The results from the 3D engine BFSC maps and the first vehicle following the FTP-75 cycle and 15 road routes were similar, also close to the results from the second vehicle, qualifying them to be representative of modern flexible fuel spark ignition engines and vehicles.
The objective of this paper is to assess the effects of the inclusion of different levels of green propolis extract in the diet of lambs in feedlot on ingestive behavior, nutrients digestibility, ...physiological parameters and performance. Eight lambs were distributed in double Latin Square with four treatments, corresponding to the inclusion levels (4, 8, 12, 16 mL) of green propolis ethanolic extract (30 g of ground crude propolis was infused in a 100-mL hydroalcoholic solution, 700 mL/L). The diets were composed of Brachiaria brizantha cv. MG5 hay and a commercial concentrate (roughage:concentrate ratio was 50:50) in a dry matter basis. No effect was observed on dry matter (31.2 g/kg of BW), crude protein, ether extract, neutral detergent fiber, non-fibrous carbohydrates and total digestible nutrients content (TDN) intakes. No significant effect was seen on the digestibility coefficients, presenting an average of 65.94% of TDN. The green propolis extract levels do not have a significant effect on behavior or physiologic parameters. Seeking to maximize feeding efficiency, the inclusion of 7.60 mL/day (2.1189 mg of dry matter and 0.1123 mg of flavonoids) of green propolis extract in the diet of lambs in feedlot is recommended.
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•Hy-formulations transient was studied.•Cytotoxicity showed potential for Copolymer-Lipid/Hy.•Copolymer-Lipid/Hy proved to be superior in many aspects.
Hypericin (Hy) compound ...presents a high photoactivity in photodynamic therapy (PDT), photodiagnosis and theranostics applications. The maintenance of this compound in monomeric form could undermine the potential benefits of its photophysical and photodynamic activity. In this study, we demonstrated that the Hy formulated in a system based on the use of the F127 copolymer and the 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-3-glycerol-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) as micelles, liposomal vesicles and Copolymer-Lipid coated systems, have improved its photophysical properties for many clinical modalities. Based on the results of the triplet state lifetime values (τt), the singlet oxygen quantum yield (ΦΔ1O2), the fluorescence lifetime (τF) and the fluorescence quantum yield (ΦF), all Hy formulations had its photophysical properties described in different models of drug delivery systems (DDS). In addition, the transient spectra profile of those formulations was unaffected by the Hy incorporation process, except for the liposomal system, which demonstrated to be the less stable one by flash photolysis technique. The cytotoxic effects of those formulations were also investigated for CaCo-2 and HaCat cells line. The cytotoxic concentrations for 50% (CC50) were 0.56, 1.05, 1.33 and 4.80 µmol L-1 for Copolymer-Lipid/Hy, DPPC/Hy, F127/Hy and ethanol/Hy for CaCo-2 cells, respectively, and 0.69, 2.02, 1.45 and 1.16 µmol L-1 for Copolymer-Lipid/Hy, DPPC/Hy, F127/Hy and ethanol/Hy for HaCat cells, respectively. The F127 copolymer had a significant role in many photophysical parameters determined for Copolymer-Lipid/Hy coated system. Although all those formulations had shown satisfactory results, Copolymer-Lipid/Hy proved to be superior in many aspects, being the most promising formulation for PDT, photodiagnosis and theranostics applications.
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