This work evaluated the removal of a mixture of eight antibiotics (i.e. ampicillin (AMP), azithromycin (AZM), erythromycin (ERY), clarithromycin (CLA), ofloxacin (OFL), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), ...trimethoprim (TMP) and tetracycline (TC)) from urban wastewater, by ozonation operated in continuous mode at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) (i.e. 10, 20, 40 and 60 min) and specific ozone doses (i.e. 0.125, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 gO3 gDOC− 1). As expected, the efficiency of ozonation was highly ozone dose- and contact time-dependent. The removal of the parent compounds of the selected antibiotics to levels below their detection limits was achieved with HRT of 40 min and specific ozone dose of 0.125 gO3 gDOC− 1. The effect of ozonation was also investigated at a microbiological and genomic level, by studying the efficiency of the process with respect to the inactivation of Escherichia coli and antibiotic-resistant E. coli, as well as to the reduction of the abundance of selected antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The inactivation of total cultivable E. coli was achieved under the experimental conditions of HRT 40 min and 0.25 gO3 gDOC−1, at which all antibiotic compounds were already degraded. The regrowth examinations revealed that higher ozone concentrations were required for the permanent inactivation of E. coli below the Limit of Quantification (<LOQ = 0.01 CFU mL− 1). Also, the abundance of the examined ARGs (intl1, aadA1, dfrA1, qacEΔ1 and sul1) was found to decrease with increasing HRT and ozone dose. Despite the fact that the mildest operating parameters were able to eliminate the parent compounds of the tested antibiotics in wastewater effluents, it was clearly demonstrated in this study that higher ozone doses were required in order to confer permanent damage and/or death and prevent potential post-treatment re-growth of both total bacteria and ARB, and to reduce the abundance of ARGs below the LOQ. Interestingly, the mineralization of wastewater, in terms of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) removal, was found to be significantly low even when the higher ozone doses were applied, leading to an increased phytotoxicity towards various plant species. The findings of this study clearly underline the importance of properly optimising the ozonation process (e.g. specific ozone dose and contact time) taking into consideration both the bacterial species and associated ARGs, as well as the wastewater physicochemical properties (e.g. DOC), in order to mitigate the spread of ARB&ARGs, as well as to reduce the potential phytotoxicity.
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•The antibiotics examined were eliminated under the mildest operating conditions.•Total and antibiotic-resistant E. coli were inactivated after 40 min at low O3 dose.•The ARGs abundance was found to decrease with increasing contact time and O3 dose.•Mineralization was found to be significantly low.•Resulting phytotoxicity can be attributed to the dEfOM and its oxidation products.
We study a spin 1/2 fermion in a thick braneworld in the context of teleparallel
f
(
T
,
B
) gravity. Here,
f
(
T
,
B
) is such that
f
1
(
T
,
B
)
=
T
+
k
1
B
n
1
and
f
2
(
T
,
B
)
=
B
+
k
2
T
n
2
..., where
n
1
,
2
and
k
1
,
2
are parameters that control the influence of torsion and the boundary term. We assume Yukawa coupling, where one scalar field is coupled to a Dirac spinor field. We show how the
n
1
,
2
and
k
1
,
2
parameters control the width of the massless Kaluza–Klein mode, the breadth of non-normalized massive fermionic modes and the properties of the analogue quantum-potential near the origin.
Botulism is a potentially fatal intoxication caused by botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) produced mainly by
. Vaccination against BoNT serotypes C and D is the main procedure to control cattle botulism. ...Current vaccines contain formaldehyde-inactivated native BoNTs, which have a time-consuming production process and pose safety risks. The development of non-toxic recombinant vaccines has helped to overcome these limitations. This study aims to evaluate the humoral immune response generated by cattle immunized with non-purified recombinant fragments of BoNTs C and D. Cattle were vaccinated in a two-dose scheme with 100, 200 and 400 µg of each antigen, with serum sampling on days 0, 56, 120, and 180 after vaccination. Animals who received either 200 or 400 μg of both antigens induced titers higher than the minimum required by the Brazilian ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply and achieved 100% (8/8) seroconversion rate. Animals vaccinated with commercial toxoid vaccine had only a 75% (6/8) seroconversion rate for both toxins. Animals that received doses containing 400 µg of recombinant protein were the only ones to maintain titers above the required level up until day 120 post-vaccination, and to achieve 100% (8/8) seroconversion for both toxins. In conclusion, 400 µg the recombinant
cell lysates supernatant was demonstrated to be an affordable means of producing an effective and safe botulism vaccine for cattle.
Probability measures of fermions on branes Moreira, A. R. P.; Dong, Shi-Hai
European physical journal. C, Particles and fields,
11/2023, Letnik:
83, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
In our research, we explore the impact of a geometric non-minimal coupling between fermions and curvature scalars on the positioning of fermions within a brane structure. Our investigation ...encompasses massless fermionic modes and massive modes, revealing that specifically fermionic modes with left chirality are situated within the brane. This insight allows us to gain a more direct understanding of how the system’s geometry influences the placement of fermion fields on the brane. To delve deeper into the precise localization of massless fermionic modes, we employ entropic information measurements. By varying the parameters that govern the curvature scalars, we observe the ability to adjust the localization of these fermionic modes on the brane. Importantly, the BBM uncertainty relation remains satisfied in all scenarios, particularly for
f
1
,
2
,
3
. We leverage the Shannon entropy as a highly effective metric to yield accurate results regarding the positioning of massless fermionic modes within our model. In the case of massive fermionic modes, we utilize relative probability analysis to pinpoint the resonant modes, and we identify the existence of these resonant modes in both
f
1
,
2
,
3
cases. Ultimately, we ascertain that these parameters influence the placement of resonant modes by increasing the amplitude of the massive modes in the core of the brane.
Thick brane in f ( T , B ) gravity Moreira, A. R. P.; Silva, J. E. G.; Lima, F. C. E. ...
Physical review. D,
03/2021, Letnik:
103, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
In this paper we explore the five-dimensional f(T,B) teleparallel modified gravity with f1(T,B)=T+k1Bn1 and f2(T,B)=B+k2Tn2 in the brane scenario. Asymptotically, the bulk geometry converges to an ...AdS5 spacetime whose cosmological constant is produced by parameters that control torsion and the boundary term. The analysis of the energy density condition reveals a splitting brane process satisfying the weak and strong energy conditions for some values of the parameters n1,2 and k1,2. In addition, we investigate the behavior of the gravitational perturbations in this scenario. In the bulk, the torsion keeps a gapless nonlocalizable and stable tower of massive modes. Inside the brane core, the torsion produces new barriers and potential wells leading to small amplitude massive modes and a massless mode localized for some values of the parameters n1,2 and k1,2.
Plant lectins have shown promising biological activities in the central nervous system (CNS).
This study evaluated the effect of DAL, a lectin isolated from the seeds of the Dioclea altissima ...species, having binding affinity to D-glucose or D-mannose residues, on mice behavior.
Mice (n=6/group) were treated (i.p.) with DAL (0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg/kg) or vehicle and subjected to several tests (open field/OFT, marble-burying/MBT, hole-board/HBT, elevated plus maze/PMT, tail suspension/ TST, forced swimming/FST or rotarod/RRT). Pizotifen, cyproheptadine, flumazenil, L-NAME, 7-NI, Larginine or yohimbine were administered 15 min before DAL (0.5 mg/kg) and the animals were evaluated on PMT. It was also verified whether the DAL effect depended on its structural integrity and ability to interact with carbohydrates.
The results showed there were no neurobehavioral changes in the mice at the RRT, FST and locomotion in the OFT. DAL (0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg/kg) increased the behavior of grooming and rearing in the OFT, head dips in the HBT, pedalling in the TST and decreased the number of marbles hidden in the MBT. In the PMT, DAL (0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg) and Diazepam increased the frequency of entries in the open arms and the time of permanence in the open arms without affecting the locomotor activity. The effect of DAL was dependent on carbohydrate interaction and protein structure integrity and it prevented by pizotifen, cyproheptadine, flumazenil, L-NAME and 7-NI, but not by L-arginine or yohimbine.
DAL was found to have an anxiolytic-like effect mediated by the 5-HT and GABAergic receptors and NO pathway.
Obesity is a metabolic disorder that predisposes patients to numerous diseases and has become a major global public-health concern. Animal models of diet-induced obesity (DIO) are frequently used to ...study obesity, but which DIO model most accurately reflects the pathology of human obesity remains unclear. In this study, we designed a diet based on the human Western diet (WD) and compared it with the cafeteria diet (CAF) and high-fat diet (HFD) in order to evaluate which diet most closely mirrors human obesity.
Wistar rats were fed four different diets (WD, CAF, HFD and a low-fat diet) for 18 weeks. Metabolic parameters and gut microbiota changes were then characterized.
Rats fed the four different diets exhibited completely different phenotypes, highlighting the importance of diet selection. This study also revealed that WD most effectively induced obesity and obesity-related disorders, and thus proved to be a robust model of human obesity. Moreover, WD-fed rats developed obesity and obesity-related comorbidities independent of major alterations in gut microbiota composition (dysbiosis), whereas CAF-fed rats developed the greatest dysbiosis independent of obesity. We also characterized gut microbiota after feeding on these four different diets and identified five genera that might be involved in the pathogenesis of obesity.
These data suggest that diet, and not the obese state, was the major driving force behind gut microbiota changes. Moreover, the marked dysbiosis observed in CAF-fed rats might have resulted from the presence of several additives present in the CAF diet, or even a lack of essential vitamins and minerals. Based on our findings, we recommend the use of the prototypic WD (designed here) in DIO models. Conversely, CAF could be used to investigate the effects of excessive consumption of industrially produced and highly processed foods, which are characteristic of Western society.
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The main limitation to the success of central nervous system (CNS) therapies lies in the difficulty for drugs to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and reach the brain. Regarding its ...structure and enzymatic complexity, crossing the BBB is a challenge, although several alternatives have been identified. For instance, the use of drugs encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles has been described as one of the most efficient approaches to bypass the BBB, as they allow the passage of drugs through this barrier, improving brain bioavailability. In particular, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) have been a focus of research related to drug delivery to the brain. These systems provide protection of lipophilic drugs, improved delivery and bioavailability, having a major impact on treatments outcomes. In addition, the use of lipid nanoparticles administered via routes that transport drugs directly into the brain seems a promising solution to avoid the difficulties in crossing the BBB. For instance, the nose-to-brain route has gained considerable interest, as it has shown efficacy in 3D human nasal models and in animal models.
This review addresses the state of the art on the use of lipid nanoparticles to modify the pharmacokinetics of drugs employed in the management of neurological disorders. A description of the structural components of the BBB, the role of the neurovascular unit and limitations for drugs to entry into the CNS is first addressed, along with the developments to increase drug delivery to the brain, with a special focus on lipid nanoparticles. In addition, the obstacle of BBB complexity in the creation of new effective drugs for the treatment of the most prevalent neurological disorders is also addressed. Finally, the proposed strategies for lipid nanoparticles to reach the CNS, crossing or circumventing the BBB, are described. Although promising results have been reported, especially with the nose-to-brain route, they are still ongoing to assess its real efficacy in vivo in the management of neurological disorders.
The characterization of petroleum or its products spilled in the environment in relation to its source rocks is an important tool to assist in the resolution of issues of environmental impact and ...legal responsibility since it clarifies the possible region or the producing country of that type of petroleum. This article analyzes the application of analytical techniques for petroleum geochemistry to identify the type and origin of oily material collected from beaches in Northeast Brazil in 2019. Samples of the oily material collected on the beaches in the states of Bahia and Sergipe were analyzed and for comparison purposes, samples of crude oils produced in Brazil, Middle East, Nigeria and Venezuela were also analyzed. The analytical results showed that the oily material that reached the beaches has geochemical characteristics compatible with those of the Venezuelan oil, indicating it was severely weathered or a product made with heavy oil produced.
•Geochemistry analyses and multivariate statistics were used to identify the origin.•Saturated biomarkers and δ13C were more useful for spill-oil source correlation.•Oily material has characteristics that correlate it with oil of Venezuelan origin.
In the context of
f
(
T
,
B
) modified teleparallel gravity, we investigate the influence of torsion scalar
T
and boundary term
B
on the confinement of both the gauge vector and Kalb–Ramond fields. ...Both fields require a suitable coupling in five-dimensional braneworld scenarios to yield a normalizable zero mode. We propose a Stueckelberg-like geometrical coupling that non-minimally couples the fields to the torsion scalar and boundary term. To set up our braneworld models, we use the first-order formalism in which two kinds of superpotential are taken: sine-Gordon and
ϕ
4
-deformed. The geometrical coupling is used to produce a localized zero mode. Moreover, we analyze the massive spectrum for both fields and obtain possible resonant massive modes. Furthermore, we do not find tachyonic modes leading to a consistent thick brane.
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