The impact and complete genome characterisation of viruses involved in outbreaks of gastroenteritis in a farrow-to-finish holding.

Viral enteric pathogens continuously burden intensive pig farming, causing gastrointestinal diseases of epidemic and endemic nature. The present study investigated two diarrhoea outbreaks on a large farrow-to-finish holding and subsequent circulation of outbreak-related enteric viruses. These viruses were characterised by whole genome sequencing, and statistical evaluation of the impact on specific production metrics was performed.

Puncturing lipid membranes: onset of pore formation and the role of hydrogen bonding in the presence of flavonoids.

Products of lipid peroxidation induce detrimental structural changes in cell membranes, such as the formation of water pores, which occur in the presence of lipids with partially oxidized chains. However, the influence of another class of products, dicarboxylic acids, is still unclear. These products have greater mobility in the lipid bilayer, which enables their aggregation and the formation of favorable sites for the appearance of pores.

RENEB Inter-Laboratory Comparison 2021: Inter-Assay Comparison of Eight Dosimetry Assays.

Tools for radiation exposure reconstruction are required to support the medical management of radiation victims in radiological or nuclear incidents. Different biological and physical dosimetry assays can be used for various exposure scenarios to estimate the dose of ionizing radiation a person has absorbed. Regular validation of the techniques through inter-laboratory comparisons (ILC) is essential to guarantee high quality results.

Can Differently Stabilized Silver Nanoparticles Modify Calcium Phosphate Precipitation?

Calcium phosphates (CaPs) composites with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) attract attention as a possible alternative to conventional approaches to combating orthopedic implant-associated infections. Although precipitation of calcium phosphates at room temperatures was pointed out as an advantageous method for the preparation of various CaP-based biomaterials, to the best of our knowledge, no such study exists for the preparation of CaPs/AgNP composites. Motivated by this lack of data in this study we investigated the influence of AgNPs stabilized with citrate (cit-AgNPs), poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP-AgNPs), and sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT-AgNPs) in the concentration range 5-25 mg dm on the precipitation of CaPs.

Rotavirus A in Domestic Pigs and Wild Boars: High Genetic Diversity and Interspecies Transmission.

Rotavirus A (RVA) is an important pathogen for porcine health. In comparison to humans, RVA in domestic animals and especially in wildlife is under researched. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence, genetic diversity, molecular epidemiology and interspecies transmission of RVA in domestic pigs and wild boars.

Semiconductive 2D arrays of pancake-bonded oligomers of partially charged TCNQ radicals.

Multicentre two-electron (mc/2e or 'pancake bonding') bonding between 7,7,8,8-tetra-cyano-quinodi-methane (TCNQ) radical anions was studied on its 14 novel salts with planar organic cations. The formal charges of the TCNQ moieties are -1/2 and -2/3, and they form mc/2e bonded dimers, trimers and tetramers which are further stacked into extended arrays. Multicentre bonding within these oligomers is characterized by short interplanar separations of 2.

Precipitation at Room Temperature as a Fast and Versatile Method for Calcium Phosphate/TiO Nanocomposites Synthesis.

The constantly growing need for advanced bone regeneration materials has motivated the development of calcium phosphates (CaPs) composites with a different metal or metal-oxide nanomaterials and their economical and environmentally friendly production. Here, two procedures for the synthesis of CaPs composites with TiO nanoplates (TiNPl) and nanowires (TiNWs) were tested, with the immersion of TiO nanomaterials (TiNMs) in corrected simulated body fluid (c-SBF) and precipitation of CaP in the presence of TiNMs. The materials obtained were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, and their hemocompatibility and ability to induce reactive oxygen species were evaluated.

Salty Crackers as Fortuitous Dosimeters: A Novel PSL Method for Rapid Radiation Triage.

When a radiological and nuclear (R/N) emergency occurs, the categorization of individuals into those who are unaffected and those requiring medical intervention is a high priority. At times, a professional dosimeter is not available and therefore some common belongings may be used as fortuitous dosimeters. The preparation of these objects for the measurement should be such as to give the most accurate and precise results.

Use of Spectroscopic Techniques to Monitor Changes in Food Quality during Application of Natural Preservatives: A Review.

Consumer demand for food of high quality has driven research for alternative methods of food preservation on the one hand, and the development of new and rapid quality assessment techniques on the other hand. Recently, there has been a growing need and interest in healthier food products, which has led to an increased interest in natural preservatives, such as essential oils, plant extracts, and edible films and coatings. Several studies have shown the potential of using biopreservation, natural antimicrobials, and antioxidant agents in place of other processing and preservation techniques (e.

The Structural Integrity of the Model Lipid Membrane during Induced Lipid Peroxidation: The Role of Flavonols in the Inhibition of Lipid Peroxidation.

The structural integrity, elasticity, and fluidity of lipid membranes are critical for cellular activities such as communication between cells, exocytosis, and endocytosis. Unsaturated lipids, the main components of biological membranes, are particularly susceptible to the oxidative attack of reactive oxygen species. The peroxidation of unsaturated lipids, in our case 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), induces the structural reorganization of the membrane.

DOSE RECONSTRUCTION FROM ESR SIGNAL OF GAMMA-IRRADIATED SODA-LIME GLASS FOR TRIAGE APPLICATION.

In this work, we report some preliminary results regarding the analysis of electron spin resonance (ESR) response of soda-lime samples used for retrospective dosimetry. Six different soda-lime glass batches were evaluated after irradiation. We compared several dose reconstruction techniques: saturation method, subtraction method and g-effective, geff, approach.

UNCERTAINTY ON RADIATION DOSES ESTIMATED BY BIOLOGICAL AND RETROSPECTIVE PHYSICAL METHODS.

Biological and physical retrospective dosimetry are recognised as key techniques to provide individual estimates of dose following unplanned exposures to ionising radiation. Whilst there has been a relatively large amount of recent development in the biological and physical procedures, development of statistical analysis techniques has failed to keep pace. The aim of this paper is to review the current state of the art in uncertainty analysis techniques across the 'EURADOS Working Group 10-Retrospective dosimetry' members, to give concrete examples of implementation of the techniques recommended in the international standards, and to further promote the use of Monte Carlo techniques to support characterisation of uncertainties.

The Lipid Composition of Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue of Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) in Croatia.

The composition of adipose tissue in brown bears (Ursus arctos) is highly variable and depends on an individual's feeding habits. Fatty acid composition of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) may provide insight into brown bear feeding habits, for which data are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the lipid composition of SAT and variations in the composition of fatty substances with regard to gender and to assess SAT relative to season and body mass (BM) of brown bears in Croatia.

Synthesis and EPR-spectroscopic characterization of the perchlorotriarylmethyl tricarboxylic acid radical (PTMTC) and its C labelled analogue (13C-PTMTC).

A hydrophilic tris(tetrachlorotriaryl)methyl (tetrachloro-TAM) radical labelled 50% with C at the central carbon atom was prepared. The mixture of isotopologue radicals was characterised by continuous wave and pulsed X-band electron paramagnetic spectroscopy (EPS). For the pharmaceutical and medical applications planned, the quantitative influence of oxygen, viscosity, temperature and pH on EPR line widths was studied in aqueous buffer, DMSO, water-methanol and water-glycerol mixtures.

Exploring the Loading Capacity of Generation Six to Eight Dendronized Polymers in Aqueous Solution.

Aspects of size, structural (im)perfection, inner density, and guest molecule loading capacity of dendronized polymers (DPs) of high generation (6≤g≤8) in aqueous solution are studied using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy on amphiphilic, spin-labeled guest molecules. The results show that the interior of the charged DPs is strongly polar, especially in comparison to their lower generation (1-4) analogues. This is a direct sign that large amounts of water penetrate the DP surface, reflecting the structural (im)perfections of these high-generation DPs and much lower segmental densities than theoretically achievable.

Detection of correlated conformational fluctuations in intrinsically disordered proteins through paramagnetic relaxation interference.

Functionally relevant conformational states of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are typically concealed in a vast space of fast interconverting structures. Here we present a novel methodology, NMR-based paramagnetic relaxation interference (PRI), that allows for direct observation of concerted motions and cooperatively folded sub-states in IDPs. The proposed NMR technique is based on the exploitation of cross correlated electron-nuclear dipolar relaxation interferences in doubly spin-labeled proteins and probes the transient spatial encounter of electron-nucleus spin pairs.

Spin-coupling in dimers of 2,3-dicyano-5,6-dichlorosemiquinone radical anions in the crystalline state.

A crystal engineering approach is used to stabilize a radical anion in the crystalline state and to modulate the separation distance within π-stacks of anion radicals. Alkali metal salts of 2,3-dicyano-5,6-dichlorosemiquinone (C8Cl2N2O2, DDQ∙- radical anions were prepared and their crystal structures determined: LiDDQ·2H2O·(CH3)2CO, RbDDQ·2H2O and CsDDQ·2H2O. In these structures, stacked dimers of radical anions are formed within π-stacked columns.

The effect of thermal treatment of radiation-induced EPR signals of different polymorphic forms of trehalose.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signals induced by γ-radiation in different polymorphic forms of trehalose were studied with dosimetry applications in view. Dose response of trehalose in terms of the concentration of induced paramagnetic centers was studied in the dose range from 0.5 to 50 kGy.

Investigation of the nitrogen hyperfine coupling of the second stable radical in γ-irradiated l-alanine crystals by 2D-HYSCORE spectroscopy.

The second stable radical, NH(3)(+)C()(CH(3))COO(-), R2, in the γ-irradiated single crystal of l-alanine and its fully (15)N-enriched analogue were studied by an advanced pulsed EPR technique, 2D-HYSCORE (two-dimensional hyperfine sublevel correlation) spectroscopy at 200K. The nitrogen hyperfine coupling tensor of the R2 radical was determined from the HYSCORE data and provides new experimental data for improved characterization of the R2 radical in the crystal lattice. The results obtained complement the experimental proton data available for the R2 radical and could lead to increased accuracy and reliability of EPR spectrum simulations.

ENDOR study on the dynamic properties of the first stable paramagnetic center in gamma-irradiated L-alanine crystals.

Dynamic properties of the first stable l-alanine radical, SAR1, induced by gamma-irradiation of l-alanine crystals, have been investigated by the electron nuclear double resonance technique (ENDOR). The study focuses on the dynamic properties of the alpha-proton hyperfine splitting in the temperature range from 180 to 320 K. In this region the motion of the NH(3)(+) and CH(3) groups exhibits slow and fast motional dynamics in comparison to the nuclear and electron Larmor frequencies, respectively.

Evidence for disorder in L-alanine lattice detected by Pulsed-EPR spectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures.

The unusual behavior of lattice dynamics of L-alanine has been assigned to intermolecular dynamics and localization of vibrational energy. Recent heat capacity and Pulsed-EPR measurements support presence of thermally activated dynamic orientational disorder in the L-alanine lattice below 20 K. In the present study, the additional evidence for possible thermally activated disordered behavior of L-alanine lattice have been obtained by investigating dependences of longitudinal relaxation time of first stable L-alanine radical, SAR1, on sample cooling rates for the same low temperature interval.

Thermal stability of radiation-induced free radicals in gamma-irradiated L-alanine single crystals.

Decay of the radiation-induced stable free radicals in l-alanine single crystals and powders at the temperatures from 379 to 476 K was examined by electron paramagnetic resonance. For single crystals, the calculated activation energy of the radical decay is 104.3+/-1.

Heat capacity and electron spin echo evidence for low frequency vibrational modes and lattice disorder in L-alanine at cryogenic temperatures.

With the view of understanding the low frequency (40-50 cm(-1)) motional processes in L-alanine around 4 K, we have carried out heat capacity (CP) and electron spin echo (ESE) measurements on L-alanine and L-alanine-d7. The obtained CP data show the so-called boson peak (seen as a maximum in CP/T3 versus T plots) in the low temperature region (1.8-20 K).