Nowadays, functional foods are in increasing demand since they can improve human health. Some bioactive components, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids-rich oils, and healthy microorganisms can be ...affected by their incorporation into food systems or processing. To avoid this, several encapsulation techniques have been developed in the recent years. The aim of this study was to encapsulate a potential probiotic bacteria, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis INL1 (INL1) and canola oil through an emulsification/gelation process using whey proteins isolate (WPI)/dextran (DX) conjugate obtained by Maillard reaction as emulsifiers. WPI/DX conjugates with dextran of 6 and 100 kDa (WPI/DX6 and WPI/DX100, respectively) were obtained by controlled dry heating. WPI/DX conjugates emulsions showed smaller oil droplets and more stability against creaming than emulsions of WPI alone. This higher stability was correlated with a higher encapsulation efficiency of canola oil in WPI/DX conjugates emulsion-gel gel beads. The viability of INL1 was not affected by the synthesis process. However, the canola oil affected the viability during storage, which indicated that canola oil is not suitable for co-encapsulation of probiotics at long storage times.
•Conjugation by Maillard reaction was achieved between Whey Protein and Dextrans.•Probiotic was encapsulated by emulsification and ionotropic gelation.•The strain was protected in the same way by the three systems under study.•Canola oil might be not suitable for probiotic encapsulation.
In today's competitive price environment, customers are more sensitive to store price image as a driver of the decision of where to buy. This paper addresses the impact of store price image on ...repurchase intentions in the context of retail markets in the south of Brazil. The moderating effects of price sensitivity and price level are also analyzed. A comprehensive model reports determinants of repurchase intentions. A descriptive quantitative research study is undertaken, based on an applied survey. Partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM) is used, supported by Smart-PLS 3.2.7. The model sample includes 207 customers, university students who had experienced retail purchases in different formats of supermarkets. The data analysis yields surprising findings. Results show that store price image positively impacted on customer repurchase intentions, with low and high price levels moderating these effects. Price sensitivity also presented moderating effects as another important variable acting on the relation between store price image and repurchase intentions for both low and high price sensitivity customers. The implications of these findings are discussed with suggestions for future research.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many companies to adopt different work modalities to ensure their operation during this period. In this study, we described and compared working conditions and ...perceptions among face-to-face workers, teleworkers, and hybrid workers in Ecuador. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 542 participants, using a self-report survey to assess sociodemographic data, working conditions, and workers' perceptions. Variables were described and then compared by the Chi-square test, ANOVA, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. The results indicated a higher proportion of on-site workers without higher education and in the public sector compared to the other modalities. At the same time, there was evidence of increased perceived productivity. People in the hybrid modality tended to have more than one job, earning a higher monthly salary, perceiving a decrease in productivity, an increase in daily working hours, and a lower capacity for time management. In addition, most teleworkers reported fair working conditions, a dedicated workspace, and easy adaptation to this work mode. This study builds a more in-depth understanding of how workers perceived their working conditions among work modalities for organizational decision-making because the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic is modifying the ways of working permanently.
The genus
Urochloa
P. Beauv. presents a prominent role in the tropical agricultural scenario being composed of species with different ploidy levels. Studies on the genomic relationship within this ...genus as well as specific analysis involving epigenetic marks are limited. The aim of the present study was to identify the cytosine methylation (5-mCyt) and histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3k9me2) in the different modulations of 45S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sites in interphase nuclei and to associate these results with gene expression analysis in
Urochloa ruziziensis
(2n = 4x = 36),
Urochloa brizantha
cv. Marandu (2n = 4x = 36), and their respective interspecific hybrid H1863
(
2n = 4x = 36). Immunolocalization techniques were performed in combination with Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for the location of the 45S rDNA sites. Predominantly, we observed intra- and perinucleolar sites, mostly hypomethylated and/or hyper/hypomethylated, decondensed or partially condensed. The gene expression analysis was performed qualitatively through the conventional PCR using complementary DNA and confirmed by the RT-qPCR technique and primers designed for the ITS-1 region of
U. brizantha
and
U. ruziziensis
. The molecular analyses performed on leaves showed that there is dominance of
U. brizantha
45S rDNA gene expression on
U. ruziziensis
in the H1863 hybrid. In roots, the analyses showed that the 45S rDNA genes of the two parents are expressed in the hybrid genome. Thus, it is plausible to infer a tissue-specific nuclear dominance model in which the pattern of hypermethylated cytosine sites with heterochromatic marks and, therefore, silenced were mostly inherited from
U. ruziziensis
, whereas the rDNA originated from
U. brizantha
was characterized by cytosine and H3k9 hypomethylation.
Aim
To evaluate the serological response against SARS-CoV-2 in a multicenter study representative of the Spanish COVID pandemic.
Methods
IgG and IgM + IgA responses were measured on 1466 samples from ...1236 Spanish COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital, two commercial ELISA kits (Vircell SL, Spain) based on the detection of antibodies against the viral spike protein and nucleoprotein, were used.
Results
Approximately half of the patients presented antibodies (56.8% were IgM + IgA positive and 43.0% were IgG positive) as soon as 2 days after the first positive PCR result. Serological test positivity increased with time from the PCR test, and 10 days after the first PCR result, 91.5% and 88.0% of the patients presented IgM + IgA and IgG antibodies, respectively.
Conclusion
The high values of sensitivity attained in the present study from a relatively early period of time after hospitalization support the use of the evaluated serological assays as supplementary diagnostic tests for the clinical management of COVID-19.
Background Overhead athletes are subject to adaptations in the shoulder including glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD). It has been documented that this alteration is more evident in ...overhead athletes with pain. Our objective was to compare glenohumeral rotation motion between symptomatic and asymptomatic handball players. Materials and methods Glenohumeral rotation range of motion, GIRD, external rotation gain (ERG), and total rotation motion were determined with a standard goniometer in 30 handball players with pain and 27 without pain. Differences between the throwing and non-throwing shoulder were determined in each group. Results Handball players with pain had significantly greater GIRD ( P = .002), ERG ( P = .027), and external rotation in the throwing arm ( P = .042) and lesser internal rotation in the throwing arm ( P = .029) in comparison to the athletes without pain. Comparisons between limbs exhibited a significant difference in the 2 groups regarding internal and external rotation ( P < .02), but differences within the group with pain were greater. Differences were not found in the total rotation motion between the 2 groups. Conclusion Handball players showed specific adaptations in the throwing shoulder; in particular, handball players with pain have greater GIRD, ERG, and external rotation and lesser internal rotation of the throwing shoulder.
Highlights • Jack Bean Urease (JBU) alters behavior and physiology in Nauphoeta cinerea. • JBU induced a positive cardiac chronotropic effect in N. cinerea. • The cardiac effects of JBU rely on the ...insect cholinergic system. • JBU increased leg but not antennae grooming by an octopaminergic route. • JBU induces in vivo irreversible blockade of the coxal-adutor muscle in cockroaches.
This paper presents the influence of welding current, electrode-workpiece distance, electrode composition, electrode diameter, electrode tip angle, shielding gas composition, and pulsed current ...frequency over the arc stagnation pressure of gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). In this study, arc application tests were carried out over a 1-mm diameter hole on a non-melting water-cooled copper plate. The hole was connected to a differential pressure sensor through an extension tube. As a result, the welding arc pressure was observed to be directly proportional to the square of the welding current and to the tungsten electrode diameter. Moreover, the pressure increases as the electrode-workpiece distance is reduced, and it is inversely proportional to the electrode tip angle, for angles greater than 45°. Also, the electrode composition, the pulsed current frequency, and the gas composition influence the welding arc stagnation pressure.
PurposeThe present research had the objectives of proposing, testing and validating a theoretical model that includes ecological awareness, healthy consumption, consumer attitude and price awareness ...as determinants of the purchase intention of organic foods and analyzing the moderating effect of gender, educational level and income of families in the relationship between price awareness and purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachA survey research was implemented with 382 Brazilians who consume organic foods from a non-probabilistic sample for convenience. For data analysis, structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed theoretical model and its respective relationships.FindingsThe results showed that ecological awareness, healthy consumption, consumer attitude and price awareness are determinants of the purchase intention of organic foods 79.1% of the variance of purchase intention of organic foods could be explained by such determinants. Another relevant result is that gender and family income has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between price awareness and the intention to purchase organic food.Originality/valueEnvironmental problems and their adverse impacts on humans have become an important issue to be analyzed by academics (researchers), governments and organizations, and their managers, especially when organic foods are considered.
Aspergillus welwitschiae causes bole rot disease in sisal (Agave sisalana and related species) which affects the production of natural fibers in Brazil, the main worldwide producer of sisal fibers. ...This fungus is a saprotroph with a broad host range. Previous research established A. welwitschiae as the only causative agent of bole rot in the field, but little is known about the evolution of this species and its strains. In this work, we performed a comparative genomics analysis of 40 Aspergillus strains. We show the conflicting molecular identity of this species, with one sisal-infecting strain sharing its last common ancestor with Aspergillus niger, having diverged only 833 thousand years ago. Furthermore, our analysis of positive selection reveals sites under selection in genes coding for siderophore transporters, Sodium‑calcium exchangers, and Phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins (PEBPs). Herein, we discuss the possible impacts of these gene functions on the pathogenicity in sisal.
•Aspergillus welwitschiae is polyphyletic; strain CCMB 674 shares its last common ancestor with A. niger, diverged 833 KYA.•Siderophore transporters, NCX, and Phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins (PEBPs) genes are under positive selection.•PEBPs were detected to be effectors. One highly diverging detected sequence might be truncated or a product of duplication.
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