The present study was conducted to evaluate the protein quality of microalgae species Chlorella vulgaris (CV), Chlorella sorokiniana (CS), and Acutodesmus obliquus (AO) and assess the impact of ...mechanical cell wall disruption. Male Sprague–Dawley rats, around 156 g after adaptation, were placed in metabolic cages and fed experimental diets that were either protein-free or contained 10% protein solely from one of the undisrupted or disrupted CV, CS, and AO. After 3 days, feces were collected for a period of 5 days and analyzed together with diet samples for crude protein contents. Apparent protein digestibility, true protein digestibility, amino acid score, and protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score were calculated. In vitro protein digestibility was measured using the pepsin–pancreatin method and the in vitro protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score was calculated. The crude protein contents of CV, CS, and AO were 53.5, 50.2, and 40.3%, respectively. The amino acid score of the first limiting amino acid was 1.10, 1.27, and 0.86, true protein digestibility was 64.7, 59.3, and 37.9% and protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score was 0.63, 0.64, and 0.29, respectively, for CV, CS, and AO. Mechanical cell disruption significantly improved protein digestibility without a substantial impact on the amino acid profile and score, resulting in the increase of protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score to 0.77, 0.81, and 0.46, respectively, for disrupted CV, CS, and AO. There was a strong correlation between in vitro protein digestibility and apparent protein digestibility (r = 0.986), and also between in vitro protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score and in vivo protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (r = 0.994). The results suggest that the CV and CS are acceptable sources of protein for humans and animals and quality can be markedly improved by mechanical cell wall disruption. Additionally, in vitro protein digestibility measured using the pepsin–pancreatin method may be used to screen protein product candidates, save animals, reduce cost, and accelerate product development.
The structural design of concrete is typically based on service limit states and uses the modulus of elasticity as a design parameter. However, the modulus of elasticity of concrete used for the ...design of structures is typically determined indirectly using specified compressive strength. This research investigated the differences between the physical and empirically based relationships of the modulus of elasticity and compressive strength of concrete. Concrete incorporating various types of coarse aggregate was evaluated with particular emphasis on limestone from Florida formations, better known as limerock. The goal of this research was to establish the accuracy of coarse aggregate correction factors used for predicting the modulus of elasticity of concrete. It was found that a value of 1.0, rather than 0.9, was appropriate for the correction factor for Florida limerock; the current structural design guidelines used by the Florida Department of Transportation have revised the specifications to reflect this finding.
Apatite and zircon are among the best-studied and most widely used accessory minerals for geochronology and thermochronology. Given that apatite and zircon are often present in the same lithologies, ...distinguishing the two phases in crushed mineral separates is a common task for geochronology, thermochronology, and petrochronology studies. Here we present a method for efficient and accurate apatite and zircon mineral phase identification and verification using X-ray micro-computed tomography (microCT) of grain mounts that provides additional three-dimensional grain size, shape, and inclusion suite information. In this study, we analyze apatite and zircon grains from Fish Canyon Tuff samples that went through methylene iodide (MEI) and lithium heteropolytungstate (LST) heavy liquid density separations. We validate the microCT results using known standards and phase identification with Raman spectroscopy, demonstrating that apatite and zircon are distinguishable from each other and other common phases, e.g., titanite, based on microCT X-ray density. We present recommended microCT scanning protocols after systematically testing the effects of different scanning parameters and sample positions. This methodology can help to reduce time spent performing density separations with highly toxic chemicals and visually inspecting grains under a light microscope, and the improved mineral identification and characterization can make geochronologic data more robust.
Pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) is the most common pediatric brain tumor. Most arise in the cerebellum, but they also can develop in the brainstem and optic nerve, where gross total resection (GTR) is not ...possible. In the absence of GTR, significant variability in both clinical behavior and histology exists. To identify potential markers associated with poor clinical outcome, we retrospectively assessed pathological features in 107 patients with PAs. We identified four pathological features (necrosis, oligodendroglioma-like features, vascular hyalinization, and calcification) that showed a significant correlation with decreased event-free survival (EFS). Similar to previous reports, we also found that PAs involving the optic pathway were associated with worse EFS compared with those arising in other locations. In contrast, mitotic index, p53 immunoreactivity and hyperactivation of several mitogenic signaling pathways (MAPK, CREB, mTOR) did not demonstrate a statistically significant relationship with EFS. Lastly, we did find a statistical trend between EFS and the number of CD68+ cells, suggesting that non-neoplastic elements of the tumor microenvironment may influence subsequent growth and clinical recurrence. Collectively, the identification of specific histopathologic features associated with clinical outcome may improve our ability to determine which PAs are more likely to exhibit clinical progression and require more vigilant observation.
Anaerobically-digested thin-stillage, which is rich in nitrogen-ammonia (478 ± 11 mg L−1) and phosphorus (508 ± 5 mg L−1), offers great potential to be utilized as a source of nutrients for ...microalgae cultivation. However, the high concentration of ammonia is inhibitory to microalgal growth. In this study, ammonium present in the thin-stillage-digestate was partially recovered in the form of struvite to reduce the ammonia concentration to 267 ± 13 mg L−1 and to improve the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio from 2.1 to 14.4 for microalgae cultivation. Chlorella sorokiniana in two times dilution of struvite-removed-digestate achieved a biomass concentration of 1.62 ± 0.11 g L−1 and nutrient removal efficiencies of 95.3 ± 1% (nitrogen) and 78.3 ± 1.1% (phosphorous) at day 18. Protein, starch and lipid contents of C. sorokiniana biomass were 37.8 ± 3.4%, 17.8 ± 0.8% and 8.9 ± 0.3% of dry weight, respectively at day 18. Moreover, a dramatic increase in genera of Alcaligenes and Acinetobacter (known as nitrifying bacteria) was observed in bacterial populations during algal cultivation.
•Chlorella sorokiniana was the most promising species to grow on thin stillage digestate.•Removal of struvite from digestate enhanced uptake of nutrients by microalgae.•Increase in nitrifying bacterial population was observed during algal cultivation.•Nitrogen and phosphorous removal efficiencies of 95.3 ± 1% and 78.3 ± 1.1% was achieved.•Protein, starch and lipid contents of biomass were 37.8 ± 3.4, 17.8 ± 0.8 and 8.9 ± 0.3%.
Abstract Objective Unilateral vocal fold immobility (UVFI) results in deficits in phonatory, respiratory, and swallow function of the pediatric patient. Little is known about long-term functional ...swallow outcomes. Methods Medical records of children diagnosed with UVFI between 2005-2014 at a tertiary children’s hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Etiology, laryngoscopy findings, and swallow status at diagnosis and follow-up were recorded. Swallow outcomes were compared by etiology using Fisher’s exact test. McNemar’s test was used to identify correlations between return of mobility and swallow recovery. Rates of pneumonia were compared with initial swallow evaluation results using a two-tailed t-test. Results Eighty-eight patients with UVFI were identified and 73 patients (47% female, mean age 14.4 months, standard deviation (SD) 26.7 months) had complete medical records. Mean follow up time was 52.7 months (SD 36.8 months). Etiologies included cardiothoracic surgery (68.5%), idiopathic (12.3%), prolonged intubation (11.0%), central nervous system (CNS) abnormality (5.5%), and non-cardiac iatrogenic injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (2.7%). Forty-seven patients underwent a follow up laryngoscopy, and recovery of vocal fold (VF) mobility was documented in 42.6% (20/47). At diagnosis, 31.5% fed orally, compared with 79.5% at follow-up. Direct correlation between recovery of VF mobility and swallow recovery was not demonstrated. Cardiac etiologies demonstrated higher rates of swallow recovery than CNS abnormalities (p=0.0393). Twenty-five children aspirated on initial modified barium swallow (MBS) and 10 children developed pneumonias at some point during the follow up period. There was no significant difference in rates of pneumonia in patients with and without aspiration on MBS. Conclusion Recovery of swallow in children with UVFI does not directly parallel return of VF mobility. Long-term swallow outcome is favorable in this population. Initial MBS does not indicate ultimate swallow outcome.
Using enzyme fractions isolated from the pyloric caeca of farmed Atlantic cod, the
in vitro degree of protein hydrolysis (DH) of numerous conventional and novel feed ingredients were measured by a ...closed-system pH-Stat assay. Regression equations describing the relationship between
in vivo apparent protein digestibility (ADC) and
in vitro protein DH were used to predict
in vitro protein ADC. The equations resulted in good correlation (<
4 percentage points difference) between ‘measured’ and ‘predicted’ protein ADC in the majority of cases (
r
=
0.90-0.99; R
2
=
0.88-0.99), while some ingredients were either over- or under-estimated (6–7 percentage points) which appears related to high ash or chitin content (
r
=
0.75; R
2
=
0.61) and may indicate the need for an acid pre-hydrolysis phase and full account of non-protein nitrogen (NPN) content. The ‘predicted’
in vitro protein ADC were above 95% for wheat gluten meal, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate and whole krill meal; relatively high (85-95%) for soybean meal, white lupin meal, herring meal, anchovy meal, canola protein concentrate, pea protein concentrate and poultry by-product meal; mid-range (75-85%) for crab meal, shrimp meal and canola meal; and low (<
75%) for hydrolyzed feather meal and flaxseed meal. Further research is needed on the development of a two-stage hydrolysis assay for gadoids involving an acid (gastric) pre-digestion step prior to this assay to further increase agreement between
in vivo protein ADC and
in vitro protein DH.
Nutrient composition, total phenolic content (TPC) and in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) of wild and cultivated seaweeds were determined. Seaweeds had a high range of protein (7–31 % of dry ...weight (DW)), lipid (3–13 % DW), carbohydrate (32–60 % DW), ash (9–45 % DW) and energy (10–18 MJ kg
−1
DW). Seaweeds had favourable amino acid (AA) profiles with moderate (0.77–0.86) to high (0.93–1.07) essential AA indices. Major minerals and trace elements included calcium (0.1–1.1 % DW), magnesium (0.2–0.8 % DW), phosphorous (0.1–0.6 % DW), potassium (2.1–4.6 % DW), sodium (1.1–3.9 % DW), sulphur (0.4–6.5 % DW), copper (1–21 mg kg
−1
DW), iron (26–945 mg kg
−1
DW), manganese (3–191 mg kg
−1
DW) and zinc (28–74 mg kg
−1
DW). Red seaweeds contained low TPC (4–5 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) g
−1
DW) whereas most brown seaweeds contained moderate (11–18 mg GAE g
−1
DW) to high levels (47–59 mg GAE g
−1
DW). IVPD was mid-range (82–87 %) for
Saccharina latissima
,
Palmaria palmata
(W),
Palmaria palmata
(M-S),
Chondrus crispus
,
Meristotheca papulosa
and
Sarcodiotheca gaudichaudii
and lower (79 %) for
Ascophyllum nodosum
,
Fucus vesiculosus
and
Alaria esculenta
. Despite relatively good AA profiles, estimated digestible protein (DP) levels for seaweeds were generally low (<15 % DW) with exception of moderate levels (16–24 % DW) for
P. palmata
(W),
P. palmata
(M-S) and
S. gaudichaudii
. A highly significant inverse correlation (
r
= −0.81,
R
2
= 0.83,
P
< 0.001) was found between TPC and IVPD of seaweeds (IVPD = 89.198 × TPC
−0.035
). The following species-specific nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors were determined:
P. palmata
(W), 6.28;
P. palmata
(M-S), 4.54;
C. crispus
, 4.85;
S. gaudichaudii
, 5.55.
Rapid response systems (RRSs) aim to identify and rescue hospitalized patients whose condition is deteriorating before respiratory or cardiac arrest occurs. Previous studies of RRS implementation ...have shown variable effectiveness, which may be attributable in part to barriers preventing staff from activating the system.
To proactively identify barriers to calling for urgent assistance that exist despite recent implementation of a comprehensive RRS in a children's hospital.
Qualitative study using open-ended, semistructured interviews of 27 nurses and 30 physicians caring for patients in general medical and surgical care areas.
The following themes emerged: (1) Self-efficacy in recognizing deteriorating conditions and activating the medical emergency team (MET) were considered strong determinants of whether care would be appropriately escalated for children in a deteriorating condition. (2) Intraprofessional and interprofessional hierarchies were sometimes challenging to navigate and led to delays in care for patients whose condition was deteriorating. (3) Expectations of adverse interpersonal or clinical outcomes from MET activations and intensive care unit transfers could strongly shape escalation-of-care behavior (eg, reluctance among subspecialty attending physicians to transfer patients to the intensive care unit for fear of inappropriate management).
The results of this study provide an in-depth description of the barriers that may limit RRS effectiveness. By recognizing and addressing these barriers, hospital leaders may be able to improve the RRS safety culture and thus enhance the impact of the RRS on rates of cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, and mortality outside the intensive care unit.
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