There has been an increased interest in replacing synthetic colorants by colorants obtained from natural sources, especially microbial pigments.
Monascus pigments have been used as natural colorings ...and food additives in Asia for centuries but have raised toxicity issues. Recently, Talaromyces/Penicillium species have been recognized as potential strains to produce natural pigments similar to those produced by Monascus species.
To date, it has not been published a literature compilation about the research and development activity of Talaromyces/Penicillium pigments.
Developing a new bioprocess requires several steps, from an initial concept to a practical and feasible application. Industrial applications of fungal pigments will depend on: (i) characterization of the molecules to assure a safe consumption, (ii) stability of the pigments to the processing conditions required by the products where they will be incorporated, (iii) optimizing process conditions to achieve high yields, iv) implementing an efficient product recovery and (v) scale-up of the bioprocess.
The above aspects have been reviewed in detail to evaluate the feasibility of reaching a commercial scale of the pigments produced by Talaromyces/Penicillium. Finally, the biological activities of the pigments and their potential applications are discussed.
•Investigations on natural pigments have increased to satisfy consumers demands.•Microorganisms are attractive natural sources of biocolorants.•Talaromyces/Penicillium produce a broad range of colors of high industrial relevance.•Talaromyces/Penicillium produce high pigments yields with high stability.•Talaromyces/Penicillium pigments are added-value compounds with bioactive properties.
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•Corncob-based media is a potential option for pigment production by T. atroroseus GH2.•The acid hydrolysis treatment released high xylose yields for culture media ...design.•Co-utilization of xylose-glucose paves the way to study various agricultural wastes.•Characterized pigments produced by T. atroroseus GH2 differed among evaluated media.•Pigments produced by T. atroroseus GH2 are homologous of Monascus’ pigments.
The genus Talaromyces has gained attention due to its ability to produce pigments with potential industrial applications in different areas. Prosperous application of fungal pigments has challenges to overcome, like developing a cost-effective bioprocess. Using agroindustrial wastes could provide inexpensive substrates and it contributes to maximize sustainability. Therefore, this study evaluated the feasibility of using corncob as a low-cost substrate for pigment production by Talaromyces atroroseus GH2. An acid hydrolysis treatment was used to release sugars from corncob. Corncob liquors with enough xylose concentration (>20 g/L) were investigated as fermentation media with and without the addition of nutrients. Process kinetic modeling was applied and pigments produced in corncob and control media were characterized. The diluted hydrolyzate without nutrient supplementation showed a pigment production (16.17±0.37 OD500nm) comparable to the control medium (17.26±0.41 OD500nm). Talaromyces atroroseus GH2 was able to co-utilize xylose and glucose in the corncob-based medium. However, growth kinetics patterns differed in both media. In the hydrolyzate medium, biomass growth presented an extended lag phase, which requires reduction for future process optimization. Finally, characterized pigments differed among evaluated media, but the pigments produced by Talaromyces atroroseus GH2 were mostly Monascus’ pigments homologous like monascorubrin and rubropunctamine. Talaromyces atroroseus GH2 ability to produce pigments using corncob hydrolyzate makes it a pigment-producing strain for an economically competitive large fermentation scale.
In the pioneering work, the radiation diagrams of leaky wave antenna arrays can achieve attenuation nulls and gains at specific angles by manually placing the zeros and the poles in the Z domain of ...the corresponding discrete linear time‐invariant (LTI) system. This handcrafted design procedure does not allow radiation diagrams with wide beams since the interaction between poles involved in the wide beam and their corresponding leaky modes cannot be easily handled. To overcome this limitation, this paper describes a novel method for designing radiation diagrams of leaky‐wave antenna arrays based on the theory of IIR discrete filters. The proposed method relies on the design of discrete filters with the prototypes of analog low‐pass filters defined by Butterworth and Chebyshev type I polynomials, whose roots along with the bilinear transformation provide the location of the poles and the zeros of the discrete LTI system and, therefore, the parameters of the leaky‐wave antenna array. Results with different designs and a comparison with other approaches show the utility and effectiveness of this novel method to design wide‐beam leaky‐wave antenna arrays.
Approach based on the relationship between the zeros and poles of a discrete linear time‐invariant (LTI) low‐pass filter designed using Butterworth and Chebyshev type I polynomials and the parameters of a leaky‐wave antenna (LWA) array. The method is able to produce a pass‐band without ripple, joint control on the pass‐band and rejection‐band, as well as a high attenuation level in the rejection‐band.
Glaucoma is one of the ophthalmological diseases that frequently causes loss of vision in today's society. Previous studies assess which anatomical parameters of the optic nerve can be predictive of ...glaucomatous damage, but to date there is no test that by itself has sufficient sensitivity and specificity to diagnose this disease. This work provides a public dataset with medical data and fundus images of both eyes of the same patient. Segmentations of the cup and optic disc, as well as the labeling of the patients based on the evaluation of clinical data are also provided. The dataset has been tested with a neural network to classify healthy and glaucoma patients. Specifically, the ResNet-50 has been used as the basis to classify patients using information from each eye independently as well as using the joint information from both eyes of each patient. Results provide the baseline metrics, with the aim of promoting research in the early detection of glaucoma based on the joint analysis of both eyes of the same patient.
Purpose:
This note studies the statistical relationships between color channels in radiochromic film readings with flatbed scanners. The same relationships are studied for noise. Finally, their ...implications for multichannel film dosimetry are discussed.
Methods:
Radiochromic films exposed to wedged fields of 6 MV energy were read in a flatbed scanner. The joint histograms of pairs of color channels were used to obtain the joint and conditional probability density functions between channels. Then, the conditional expectations and variances of one channel given another channel were obtained. Noise was extracted from film readings by means of a multiresolution analysis. Two different dose ranges were analyzed, the first one ranging from 112 to 473 cGy and the second one from 52 to 1290 cGy.
Results:
For the smallest dose range, the conditional expectations of one channel given another channel can be approximated by linear functions, while the conditional variances are fairly constant. The slopes of the linear relationships between channels can be used to simplify the expression that estimates the dose by means of the multichannel method. The slopes of the linear relationships between each channel and the red one can also be interpreted as weights in the final contribution to dose estimation. However, for the largest dose range, the conditional expectations of one channel given another channel are no longer linear functions. Finally, noises in different channels were found to correlate weakly.
Conclusions:
Signals present in different channels of radiochromic film readings show a strong statistical dependence. By contrast, noise correlates weakly between channels. For the smallest dose range analyzed, the linear behavior between the conditional expectation of one channel given another channel can be used to simplify calculations in multichannel film dosimetry.
Considering the existing controversy over the possible role of acute antioxidant vitamins in reducing exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD), this doubled-blind, randomized and controlled trial aimed ...to determine whether supplementation with vitamins C and E could mitigate the EIMD in endurance-trained runners (n = 18). The exercise protocol involved a warm-up followed by 6 to 8 bouts of 1 km running at 75% maximum heart rate (HRmax). Two hours before the exercise protocol, participants took the supplementation with vitamins or placebo, and immediately afterwards, blood lactate, rate of perceived exertion and performance were assessed. At 24 h post-exercise, CK, delayed onset muscle soreness and performance were determined (countermovement jump, squat jump and stiffness test). The elastic index and vertical stiffness were calculated using a stiffness test. Immediately after the exercise protocol, all participants showed improved maximum countermovement jump, which only persisted after 24 h in the vitamin group (p < 0.05). In both groups, squat jump height was significantly greater (p < 0.05) immediately after exercise and returned to baseline values after 24 h. The elastic index increased in the vitamin group (p < 0.05), but not in the placebo group. In both groups, lactate levels increased from pre- to immediately post-exercise (p < 0.05), and CK increased from pre- to 24 h post-exercise (p < 0.05). No significant differences between groups were observed in any of the variables (p > 0.05). Vitamin C and E supplementation does not seem to help with EIMD in endurance-trained individuals.
Ante los retos por la necesidad de fertilizantes para mantener la producción agrícola, ocurre naturalmente un proceso biológico de fijación de nitrógeno atmosférico por parte de un grupo de bacterias ...simbióticas que forman una asociación muy estrecha con plantas del grupo de las leguminosas, entre las que se encuentran las alfalfillas o tréboles silvestres (Melilotus spp.). Desde el punto de vista ecológico esta planta tiene una función muy importante por la buena capacidad de asociarse a bacterias nativas del suelo fijadoras de nitrógeno del género Sinorhizobium. Un aspecto fundamental es que esta especie vegetal puede crecer normalmente en suelos alcalinos, lo que le convierte aún más como doble importante, ya que, por un lado, fija nitrógeno y por el otro puede incorporarse como abono verde. Con ello, se mejoran las propiedades físico-químicas del suelo y, se incrementan los niveles de materia orgánica, condición que es muy pobre en las áreas de zonas áridas. Adicionalmente, esta especie puede resistir bajas temperaturas y crecer satisfactoriamente en invierno. Este documento presenta una síntesis del género Melilotus y su simbionte Sinorhizobium meliloti, así como su importancia como posible mejorador natural del suelo.
Faced with the challenges posed by the need for fertilizers to maintain agricultural production, a biological process of atmospheric nitrogen fixation occurs naturally, which is carried out by a group of symbiotic bacteria that form a very close association with plants of the legume group, among which is the sweet clover (Melilotus spp.). From an ecological point of view, this plant has an essential function due to its good ability to associate with native nitrogen-fixing bacteria of the genus Sinorhizobium. A fundamental aspect is that this plant species can grow normally in alkaline soils, which doubles its importance since, on the one hand, it fixes nitrogen, and on the other hand, it can be incorporated as green manure. With this, the physicochemical properties of the soil are improved, and the levels of organic matter, which is in extremely poor condition in arid zone areas, are increased. Additionally, this species can withstand low temperatures and grow satisfactorily in winter. This paper presents a synthesis of the genus Melilotus and its symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti and its importance as a potential natural soil improver.
The production of ornamentals is an economic activity of great interest, particularly the production of
. This plant is very attractive for its color and shapes; however, the quality of its flower ...and its shelf life can decrease very fast. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to develop techniques that allow for increasing both flower quality and shelf life. Nanotechnology has allowed for the use of various materials with unique characteristics. These materials can induce a series of positive responses in plants, among which the production of antioxidant compounds stands out. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the application of silicone nanoparticles (SiO
NPs) on the quality, shelf life, and antioxidant status of
. For this, different concentrations of SiO
NPs (0, 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 mg L
) were applied in two ways, foliar and soil, as two independent experiments. The contents of enzymatic (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase) and non-enzymatic (phenols, flavonoids, and glutathione) antioxidant compounds, the mineral content, flower quality, and shelf life were analyzed. The results showed that the application of SiO
NPs through the foliar method induced a greater flowers' shelf life (up to 21.62% more than the control); greater contents of Mg, P, and S (up to 25.6%, 69.1%, and 113.9%, respectively, compared to the control); more photosynthetic pigment (up to 65.17% of total chlorophyll); more glutathione peroxidase activity (up to 69.9%); more phenols (up to 25.93%); and greater antioxidant capacity as evaluated by the DPPH method (up to 5.18%). The use of SiO
NPs in the production of
is a good alternative method to increase flower quality and shelf life.
To understand better the cerebral functions, several methods have been developed to study the
brain activity, they could be related with morphological, electrophysiological, molecular and ...neurochemical
techniques. Monitoring neurotransmitter concentration is a key role to know better how the brain works
during normal or pathological conditions, as well as for studying the changes in neurotransmitter
concentration with the use of several drugs that could affect or reestablish the normal brain activity.
Immediate response of the brain to environmental conditions is related with the release of the fast acting
neurotransmission by glutamate (Glu), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and acetylcholine (ACh) through the opening of
ligand-operated ion channels. Neurotransmitter release is mainly determined by the classical microdialysis technique, this
is generally coupled to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Detection of neurotransmitters can be done by
fluorescence, optical density, electrochemistry or other detection systems more sophisticated. Although the microdialysis
method is the golden technique to monitor the brain neurotransmitters, it has a poor temporal resolution. Recently, with
the use of biosensor the drawback of temporal resolution has been improved considerably, however other inconveniences
have merged, such as stability, reproducibility and the lack of reliable biosensors mainly for GABA. The aim of this
review is to show the important advances in the different ways to measure neurotransmitter concentrations; both with the
use of classic techniques as well as with the novel methods and alternant approaches to improve the temporal resolution.
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