Absolute Mass Research Articles

Fractionation and Absolute Molecular Weight Determination of Organosolv Lignin and Its Fractions: Analysis by a Novel Acetone-Based SEC─MALS Method

Accurate and reliable structural characterization of technical lignins is still challenging and inhibits industrial utilization as only poor understanding of structure–property relationship is available. Especially, molar mass analysis of technical lignins is of paramount interest; however, the usage of conventional size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and synthetic polymer standards as a consequence of inaccessible lignin standards is predominantly found in academia. This leads to a huge discrepancy in molecular weight analyses of lignins between different laboratories and consequently to fragile comparability. In this study, organosolv (OS) lignin from beech wood was exemplarily used to develop and evaluate a new acetone–water-based SEC method with the ability to be coupled to an electrospray ionization-mass spectrometer (ESI-MS) or to a multi-angle light scattering detector (MALLS or short MALS). The eluent system used shows very good solubility for the lignins investigated and hence lowers the probability for molecular aggregation of lignin molecules in solution. Solvent fractionation in acetone–water mixtures was conducted to acquire molecular weight classes. The starting lignin (parent lignin) was initially dissolved in 80 wt % acetone–water. Various fractions of the parent lignin were produced by a stepwise reduction of the acetone content. Molecular weights based on narrow polyethylene glycol (PEG)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) standards and absolute molar masses by coupling SEC with MALS were obtained, and the drawback of using polymer standards is discussed in detail. At a lower acetone content, low-molecular-weight fractions were found. Additionally, the specific refractive index increments (dn/dc) were determined for the parent lignin and its fractions. The impact of dn/dc on the final molecular weight (MW) was evaluated considering the chemical composition obtained by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) analysis. Furthermore, light scattering revealed that the absorption behavior for this OS lignin is low and neglectable. This article proposes a new acetone-based analytical method for direct determination of absolute molar masses of OS lignin molecules.

Defence plasticity in the spiny plant Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. in response to light and soil fertility.

Plants have evolved various defences against herbivores, including direct chemical and structural defences and co-opted biological defences by predatory insects. However, the effects of abiotic habitat conditions on the quantitative expression of defence traits of spiny species have not been elucidated. Here, we investigated whether a spiny deciduous tree, Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem., changes its defence expression across light and nutrient gradients. We measured allocation to spines and C-based secondary metabolites (condensed tannins and total phenols) on A. elata plants growing across light and nutrient gradients in situ in natural landscapes in Japan. Second, we examined the effects of light and soil nutrient condition on allocation to shoot organs, spines and chemical defences of juveniles of two genotypes of the species, respectively spiny (mainland population) and non-spiny (island population), grown in a glasshouse. In the field investigation, absolute spine mass, spine mass fraction, total phenols and condensed tannins all responded positively to canopy openness. Total phenol content was also negatively related to soil N. In the glasshouse, spiny genotype individuals had less total biomass, had lower stem allocation and were shorter than non-spiny genotype individuals. In spiny genotype trees, both spine mass fraction and total phenols decreased under low light conditions. Nutrient additions had negative effects on spine mass fraction and total phenols, but no effect on absolute spine mass. These results suggest that development of spines is costly for A. elata and receives greater allocation when carbohydrate supply is more plentiful. Thus, light is a more important determinant of spine allocation than soil nutrients for A. elata.

269 EFFECTS OF COLCHICINE TREATMENT AFTER MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION ON TOP OF STANDARD THERAPY: EVIDENCE FROM A PRECLINICAL STUDY

Abstract Background An intense inflammatory and fibrotic response after myocardial infarction (MI) may lead to scar expansion and left ventricular (LV) remodeling, increasing the risk for ventricular arrhythmias and heart failure. Colchicine is an anti-inflammatory drug that has been reported to improve the outcome of patients with MI; its effects on LV remodeling have not been specifically investigated. We aimed to characterize the effects of the anti-inflammatory drug colchicine in an animal model of reperfused MI. Methods In 4-month-old pigs, MI was induced by occluding the LAD artery through an angioplasty balloon for 90 minutes. Pigs surviving MI induction were randomized in a 1:1 fashion to 2 arms: The pigs underwent a first CMR scan 72 hours after MI induction, and another CMR at day 30. The pigs were then sacrificed the day after the second CMR. The primary efficacy endpoint was LGE mass (as a percentage of LV mass). Results The infarcted area at 72 hours (expressed as absolute mass or as a percentage of the LV mass) and the changes over 1 month did not differ significantly between pigs on colchicine plus standard therapy vs. those on standard therapy alone. When assessing the extent of fibrosis on the explanted hearts (as a percentage of the tissue sample areas) there was a trend toward a lower extent of myocardial fibrosis in pigs on colchicine plus standard therapy (p=0.091). The percent differences in LV volumes, ejection fraction and mass across the two CMR scans did not reach statistical difference. Conclusions The results from a pig model of reperfused MI suggest that colchicine has no additional effects to standard MI therapy on MI size and LV remodeling.

Isotopologue pattern based data mining for selenium species from HILIC-ESI-Orbitrap-MS-derived spectra.

Automated and specific picking of selenium-containing molecular entities has not been an obvious option for software tools associated with electrospray high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS). In our study, a comprehensive pattern matching approach based on intra-isotopologue distance and isotopologue ratio data was critically evaluated in terms of reproducibility and selenium isotope selection on three samples, including selenized Torula yeast and the selenium hyperaccumulator plant Cardamine violifolia. Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography was applied to provide a one-step separation for water soluble metabolites to put an end to the need for either orthogonal setups or poor retention on reversed phase chromatography. Assistance from inductively coupled plasma-MS was taken only for chromatographic verification purposes, and the involvement of absolute mass defect (MD) data in selenometabolite-specific screening was assessed by multivariate statistical tools. High focus was placed on screening efficiency and on the validation of discovered selenized molecules to avoid reporting of artefacts. From the >1000 molecular entries detected, selenium-containing molecules were picked up with a recovery rate of >88% and a false positive rate of <10%. Isotop(ologu)e pairs of 78Se-80Se and 80Se-82Se proved to be the most performant in the detection. On the basis of accurate mass information and hypothetical deamination processes, elemental composition could be proposed for 72 species out of the 75 selenium species encountered without taking into account selenocompound databases. Absolute MD data were used to significantly differentiate a potentially sample-specific subgroup of false positive molecular entities from non-selenized and selenized entities.

Following laser-induced plasma stoichiometry with atomic absorption spectroscopy

Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to measure the absolute vanadium and titanium masses present as neutral atoms in the plume formed by laser ablation of a titanium alloy sample. At delays between two and twenty microseconds, the absolute masses and temperatures were measured with time-resolved Boltzmann plots under pure helium and an 80:20 He/O2 mixture. The Boltzmann plots, which include the ground term (in contrast to emission-based measurements), produced high-quality estimates of the plasma composition. Under helium, the metal vapors persisted beyond the longest ∼20 μs delays measured. The V:Ti stoichiometry was approximately as expected from the nominal sample composition at all times under He. However, under He:O2, the atomic vapor disappeared entirely in under 10 μs and the stoichiometry became more enriched in vanadium at increasing delays. This enrichment is interpreted in terms of the difference in first oxide bond energies of the two metals. There was evidence of loss of metal even under helium within the investigated 20 μs window.

TMT-based proteomics analysis of growth advantage of triploid Apostichopus japonicus

Polyploid breeding can produce new species with a faster growth rate, higher disease resistance, and higher survival rate, and has achieved significant economic benefits. This study investigated the protein differences in the body wall of triploid Apostichopus japonicus and diploid A. japonicus using isotope-labeled relative and absolute quantitative Tandem Mass Tag technology. A total of 21,096 independent peptides and 4621 proteins were identified. Among them, there were 723 proteins with significant expression differences, including 413 up-regulated proteins and 310 down-regulated proteins. The differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were enriched in 4519 Gene Ontology enrichment pathways and 320 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment pathways. Twenty-two key DEPs related to important functions such as growth and immunity of triploid A. japonicus were screened from the results, among which 20 were up-regulated, such as cathepsin L2 cysteine protease and fibrinogen-like protein A. Arylsulfatase A and zonadhesin were down-regulated. The up-regulated proteins were mainly involved in oxidative stress response, innate immune response, and collagen synthesis in triploid A. japonicus, and the down-regulated proteins were mainly associated with the sterility of triploid A. japonicus. In addition, the transcriptome and proteome were analyzed jointly to support proteome data. In this study, the differences in protein composition between triploid and diploid A. japonicus were analyzed for the first time, and the results revealed the underlying reasons for the growth advantage of triploid A. japonicus.

Changes in Body Weight, Body Composition, Phase Angle, and Resting Metabolic Rate in Male Patients with Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Undergoing Therapy.

Background and Objectives: Cancer treatments can adversely influence body weight status, body composition, phase angle (PhA), and resting metabolic rate (RMR), which could possibly affect disease course. Τhe aim was to assess differences in body composition, PhA, RMR, and related parameters in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients after treatment. Methods: The sample consisted of 82 NSCLC (stage IV) male patients (chemotherapy (C) 15.7%; immunotherapy (I) 13.3%; C + I 25.3%; (C) + radiotherapy (R) 22.9 %; and other 15.5%). Body weight and body composition, PhA, RMR, oxygen consumption (VO2), ventilation rate, and diet were assessed at baseline and at 3 months after initiation of therapy. Results: Reductions in PhA, RMR, VO2, ventilation rate, and intracellular water were observed at follow up. Weight loss was evident for 45% of patients who also had a reduction in lean body mass. In the group under C, lean mass was reduced at follow up (55.3 ± 11.53 vs. 52.4 ± 12.6, p = 0.04) without significant weight changes. In subjects with a low adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDietScore &lt; 30), RMR (1940 ± 485 vs. 1730 ± 338 Kcal, p = 0.001), VO2 (277.1 ± 70.2 vs. 247 ± 49.1 mL/min, p = 0.001), and ventilation rate (10.1 ± 2.28 vs. 9. ± 2 2.2 L/min, p = 0.03) were significantly reduced. The changes in body weight were positively related to % of change in fat mass (rho = 0.322, p = 0.003) and absolute lean mass change (rho = 0.534, p &lt; 0.001) and negatively associated with % of change in total body water (rho = -0.314, p = 0.004) (Spearman correlation coefficients). Conclusions: In conclusion, cancer therapy related to reductions in PhA and RMR, while lean mass reduction may be related to the type of treatment. Our results emphasize the importance of a more holistic nutritional and body composition assessment beyond body weight, to better address patients' needs in clinical practice.

Aerodynamic Performance Enhancement of a Sports Vehicle Using Numerical Techniques

Evaluation of vehicle aerodynamics is an integral part of automotive engineering. The aerodynamic performance of automobile has great influence on the power performance, economy, handling stability and ride comfort of the vehicle. In this context, the present work focuses on improving the aerodynamic performance of a modelled sports vehicle using numerical techniques. Baseline analysis of a research paper was conducted for validation of the results obtained in numerical simulations. Multiple turbulence models, flow boundary conditions, and inlet parameters were explored using Ansys Fluent Computational Fluid Dynamics software. The validation of the baseline data was proved using convergence, numerical and theoretical validation. Solution convergence parameters were Absolute Residual criteria and Mass Flow Rate. Grid Independency, Inlet Velocity and Flow Turbulence Model checks were employed to further refine the accuracy of simulations. This research studied and presented the effects of a two-flap spoiler on the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle using pressure, velocity, and eddy viscosity contours using simulations of incompressible air flow over the modelled car body. Improved flow contours exhibited a reduction of Coefficient of Drag and Lift parameters. Using Coefficient of Pressure (Cp) as a baseline parameter, multiple configurations of flow boundary conditions were explored. The literature consists of theoretical, experimental, and numerical aspects of the research papers and journals that were studied for this research. The objectives were to model, mesh and simulate a sports car to better understand the flow vortices and validate the aerodynamic flow parameters with the studied literature.

Вплив Lavandula angustifolia на показники обміну речовин і морфофункціональний стан органів щурів на тлі високожирового раціону

Herbal preparations recommended in the treatment protocols for metabolic disorders are highly effective and less toxic than chemically synthesized ones. Plants of the Lamiaceae family, in particular Lavandula angustifolia, are known and widely used in the treatment and prevention of many diseases in humans and animals. In a 30-day experiment on model animals was studied the effect of dry herb narrow-leaved lavender on the rate of weight gain, metabolic parameters and the morphofunctional state of the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. For this, two groups of white laboratory rats (n=7) consuming a high-fat diet for 30 days were formed. The experimental group was additionally given 5% of crushed dry lavender herb as part of the diet. We weighted the animals, calculated the average daily weight gain and at the end of the experiment determined the biochemical parameters of the blood, as well as assessed the macroscopic and microscopic changes in the internal organs. It was established that the addition of lavender to a high-fat diet led to increase in the average daily weight gain, and a significant increase in the absolute mass of the heart and liver compared to the control group. Among the biochemical parameters of the blood, the activity of alkaline phosphatase, as well as the level of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased significantly. A high-fat diet caused the development of granular degeneration in the kidneys, granular-fatty one in the liver, and the supplementation of the diet with lavender did not improve this condition.

Quantifying the Evidence Against a Mass Gap between Black Holes and Neutron Stars

The lack of objects between 2 and 5 M ⊙ in the joint mass distribution of compact objects has been termed the “mass gap,” and attributed mainly to the characteristics of the supernova mechanism precluding their birth. However, recent observations show that a number of candidates reported to lie inside the “gap” may fill it, suggesting instead a paucity that may be real or largely a result of small number statistics. We quantify in this work the individual candidates and evaluate the joint probability of a mass gap. Our results show that an absolute mass gap is not present, to a very high confidence level. It remains to be seen if a relative paucity of objects stands in the future, and how this population can be related to the formation processes, which may include neutron star mergers, the collapse of a neutron star to a black hole, and others.

Morphofunctional state of the rat’s liver under the influence of Aralia elata alcohol tincture during the high-fat diet

Aralia tincture (Aralia elata) is a well-known adaptogen, so most of its effects that influence the body are associated with the general properties of this plant's preparations. They are metabolic regulators that increase the body's ability to adapt to various environmental stressors and prevent occurring damage. The purpose of this work is to determine the effect of various doses of A. elata roots alcohol tincture on the liver morphofunctional state of laboratory rats that are receiving a diet with excess fat. From 28 young laboratory rats that consumed an excess fat diet for 35 days, four groups were formed. Animals of the first group (control) received pure water without restriction; the second group – 0.1 % ethanol, and the third and fourth – received 0.1 % and 0.01 % alcohol tincture of Aralia (A. elata), respectively. After the experiment's completion, the absolute and relative mass and liver histostructure of animals were determined, and biochemical blood tests were performed to determine the main indicators of this organ's functional activity. In rats that were kept on the excess fat diet, the replacement of water with 0.1 % ethanol solution and 0.01 % alcohol tincture of aralia caused a decrease in the relative mass of the liver, and 0.1 % aralia alcohol tincture – caused a significant increase. It has been demonstrated that 0.1 % ethanol causes a significant increase in the total protein level in the blood. An analysis of the blood enzyme activity has shown that ethanol consumption reduced the activity of AST and ALT from the value of the control group, and the Aralia alcohol tincture returned these indicators to the level of the control group. The liver histostructure of rats in the control group was characterized by the appearance of signs of fatty degeneration along the periphery of the hepatic lobules, with the consumption of 0.1 % ethanol in addition to the excess fat diet, the accumulation of fat droplets was detected in both perilobular (around lobules) zone and in the center of the lobule itself near the central vein. In hepatocytes located along the periphery of the lobules, mainly large fat drops have accumulated, and in the center – small ones. The use of Aralia alcohol tinctures improved the liver parenchyma's morphological state. Fatty degeneration of hepatocytes was less pronounced. Fat inclusions in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes were small, diffusely located in the cytoplasm, and did not show cell destruction.

Exploring potential drivers of brain size variation in the electric fish Brachyhypopomus occidentalis

Characterizing the factors that shape variation in brain size in natural populations is crucial to understanding the evolution of brain size in animals. Here, we explore how relative brain size and brain allometry vary with drainage, predation risk and sex in natural populations of the electric knifefish Brachyhypopomus occidentalis. Fish were sampled from high and low predation risk sites within two independent river drainages in eastern and central Panamá. Overall, we observed low variation in brain-body size allometric slopes associated with drainage, predation risk and sex category. However, we observed significant differences in allometric intercepts between predation risk sites. We also found significant differences in relative brain mass associated with drainage, as well as significant differences in absolute brain mass associated with drainage, predation risk and sex category. Our results suggest potential constraints in brain-body allometry across populations of B. occidentalis. However, both drainage and predation risk may be playing a role in brain mass variation among populations. We suggest that variation in brain mass in electric fishes is affected by multiple extrinsic and intrinsic factors, including geography, environmental complexity, social interaction and developmental or functional constraints.

Direct spectral distribution characterisation using the Average Photon Energy for improved photovoltaic performance modelling

Accurate photovoltaic (PV) performance modelling is crucial for increasing the penetration of PV energy into the grid, analysing returns on investment, and optimising system design prior to investment and construction. Performance models usually correct an output value known at reference conditions for the effects of environmental and system variables at arbitrary conditions. Traditional approaches to correct for the effect of the solar spectrum on performance are based on proxy variables that represent spectral influences, such as absolute air mass (AMa) and clearness index (Kt). A new methodology to account for the spectral influence on PV performance is proposed in this study. The proposed methodology is used to derive a novel spectral correction function based on the average energy of photons contained within the measured solar spectral distribution. The Average Photon Energy (APE) parameter contains information on the combined effects of multiple proxy variables and is not limited by climatic conditions such as cloud cover, as is the case with most traditional models. The APE parameter is shown to be capable of explaining almost 90% of the variability in PV spectral efficiency, compared to around 65% for AMa. The derived APE function is validated and shown to offer an increase of 30% in predictive accuracy for the spectral efficiency compared with the traditional AMa function, and a 17% improvement relative to the AMa-Kt function.

A census of OBe stars in nearby metal-poor dwarf galaxies reveals a high fraction of extreme rotators

The early Universe, together with many nearby dwarf galaxies, is deficient in heavy elements. The evolution of massive stars in such environments is thought to be affected by rotation. Extreme rotators among them tend to form decretion disks and manifest themselves as OBe stars. We use a combination of UB, Gaia, Spitzer, and Hubble Space Telescope photometry to identify the complete populations of massive OBe stars – from one hundred to thousands in number – in five nearby dwarf galaxies. This allows us to derive the galaxy-wide fraction of main sequence stars that are OBe stars (fOBe), and how it depends on absolute magnitude, mass, and metallicity (Z). We find fOBe = 0.22 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (0.5 Z⊙), increasing to fOBe = 0.31 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (0.2 Z⊙). In the thus-far unexplored metallicity regime below 0.2 Z⊙, in Holmberg I, Holmberg II, and Sextans A, we also obtain high OBe star fractions of 0.27, 0.27, and 0.27, respectively. These high OBe star fractions and the strong contribution in the stellar mass range – which dominates the production of supernovae–, shed new light on the formation channel of OBe stars, as well as on the tendency for long-duration gamma-ray bursts and superluminous supernovae to occur in metal-poor galaxies.

The effect of the biologically active additive betaine-aldehyde on the meat productivity of quails

The experimental results of betaine-aldehyde additive use in young quail diets rations have been provided. To conduct the experiment, two groups of Phoenix quails at the age of 10 days fed with complete compound feed were formed. Poultry of the second group received betaine-aldehyde additionally with drinking water (Sumus LLC, Kazan). It has been established that in the second group receiving the experimental supplement, live weight and average daily gains were significantly greater in males than in control groups by 2.6 % (P≤000.1) and 7.9 % in females, by 4.5 % (P≤0.01) and 12.7 % (P≤0.001), respectively. In the second group of quails, the slaughter weight increased by 7.8 %, the mass of the ungutted carcass by 8.8 %, the half-gutted and the gutted carcass ‒ by 8.7 %, the yield of edible parts ‒ by 11.3 % and muscles by 13.5 % (P≤0.01), as well as the relative and absolute mass of the liver and muscular stomach. The use of betaine-aldehyde had no negative effect on the organoleptic indicators of the experimental poultry meat.

Body stores of emergent aquatic insects are associated with body size, sex, swarming behaviour and dispersal strategies

Abstract Dispersal is a determining step in the life cycle of insects and a key factor of their energy budget. If the body stores of terrestrial insects are relatively well‐documented, those of merolimnic insects (i.e., with aquatic larvae and terrestrial winged adults) remain poorly investigated. We assayed the body stores (protein, carbohydrate and lipid contents) of 18 families of merolimnic insects, encompassing a wide diversity of biological and ecological traits. We highlighted allometry between body stores and mass. The proportion of triglyceride and free carbohydrate relatively decreases with an increase in absolute insect mass, whereas protein and glycogen contents are proportional. We found a significant effect of insect order, Diptera having relatively more proteins than Trichoptera. For swarming taxa, males have relatively more triglycerides than their conspecific female. Passive dispersers are characterised by higher protein and glycogen contents Each body store was associated with specific life‐history traits, emphasising the importance of considering each body store independently to better understand the associated functions. Dispersal strategies seem to be the main structuring factor underlying body store patterns of merolimnic insects, being significantly associated with the variation in adjusted triglycerides (30%), proteins (21%), glycogen (29%) and free carbohydrates (17%). However, our study estimated the role of flight only indirectly through the biological traits of insects. Future works should focus on identifying which substrates are used for flight, by comparing the proportion of body stores before and after flight, as well as protein identification to distinguish proteins associated with flight or reproduction. These further studies will help researchers in understanding the link between body stores of emerging merolimnic insects and the various facets of their ecology.

Myocytic androgen receptor overexpression does not affect sex differences in adaptation to chronic endurance exercise

Muscle-specific androgen receptor (AR) overexpression (HSAAR transgene) in sedentary male rats results in reduced adiposity, increased mitochondrial enzyme activity, and selective increase in Type 2b myofiber size. Here, we tested chronic endurance exercise interactions with this phenotype in both sexes. Across 9 weeks, rats ran 5×/week on motorized running wheels at increasing speeds and durations. Exercise reduced fat mass in all groups, but sex affected endurance exercise outcomes such that absolute lean mass increased only in females and total body mass decreased only in males. Expected sex differences were observed with males exhibiting greater total body and lean mass; absolute and relative fat mass; bone mineral density; extensor digitorum longus (EDL) myofiber size and glycolytic proportion; but lesser Type 2a and Type 1 myosin expression in tibialis anterior. Observed HSAAR outcomes were not altered by sex, with transgenic rats having greater lean mass, Type 2a myosin expression in soleus, and glycolytic myofiber size in EDL. Tibialis AR content was independently affected by sex, HSAAR, and exercise. No sex differences were observed in tibialis AR expression in wild-type rats, although HSAAR males had greater AR content than HSAAR females. We identified a moderate correlation between AR expression and glycolytic myofiber size, but not whole-body composition. Overall, results suggest myocytic AR overexpression and chronic exercise, despite sharing a similar phenotype to adaptation, are mediated by distinct mechanisms. Further, this study illustrates sex differences in adaptation to chronic endurance exercise, and suggests sex-similarity in the relationship between muscle AR and exercise response.

Biophysical Characterization of Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors Using Ion-Exchange Chromatography Coupled to Light Scattering Detectors.

Ion-exchange chromatography coupled to light scattering detectors represents a fast and simple analytical method for the assessment of multiple critical quality attributes (CQA) in one single measurement. The determination of CQAs play a crucial role in Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV)-based gene therapies and their applications in humans. Today, several different analytical techniques, including size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), qPCR or ELISA, are commonly used to characterize the gene therapy product regarding capsid titer, packaging efficiency, vector genome integrity, aggregation content and other process-related impurities. However, no universal method for the simultaneous determination of multiple CQAs is currently available. Here, we present a novel robust ion-exchange chromatography method coupled to multi-angle light scattering detectors (IEC-MALS) for the comprehensive characterization of empty and filled AAVs concerning capsid titer, full-to-total ratio, absolute molar mass of the protein and nucleic acid, and the size and polydispersity without baseline-separation of both species prior to data analysis. We demonstrate that the developed IEC-MALS assay is applicable to different serotypes and can be used as an orthogonal method to other established analytical techniques.

The effect of vaccination on the live weight of chickens and the absolute weight of the spleen and gland

Choosing optimal chicken immunization programs is an urgent problem in poultry farming. Studying the morphology of the organs of the chickens' immune system allows you to objectively assess the effectiveness of prevention methods. The article provides data on the effect of multiple vaccinations on the live weight of chickens and the absolute weight of immune defense organs: the spleen and gland of chickens aged 1, 15, 25, 50, 75, 100, and 120 days. One of the leading indicators of the growth of young birds is the dynamics of live weight under the influence of external factors. Identical technological conditions at the beginning of the experiment and the selection of livestock according to the principle of analogs in groups made it possible to assess the effect of vaccination on the chickens' bodies based on live weight indicators. According to our research results, it was established that in chickens of 100- and 120-day-old age, with multiple vaccinations, there is a probable increase in live weight indicators compared to the control group of animals. Our research showed that by 25 days in chickens (vaccinated six times), the hands of the absolute mass of the spleen practically did not change. At the same time, in 25-, 100-, and 120-day-old chickens, there is an increase in the absolute mass of the spleen and the gland at 15- and 50-day-old compared to the indicators of non-vaccinated animals. This indicates the implementation of immune reactions in the studied organs of immune protection due to increased migration of T- and B-lymphocytes to them. In addition, if age periods are compared, a decrease in the absolute mass of the Garder gland was found in 75-day-old chickens compared to 50-day-old chickens, which indicated the involutional processes of this gland. The maximum parameters of the gland's absolute mass were found at 50 days in chickens of both the vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups. Thus, in vaccinated chickens, this indicator of the gland was 0.095 g. Organometric changes in the spleen and gland of vaccinated chickens can be one of the criteria for diagnosing poultry immunodeficiencies.

Apsidal Motion and Physical Parameters in the Eclipsing System V490 Sct

We report long-term UBVRIR c I c photometry of the highly eccentric 12.04 day detached eclipsing binary V490 Sct (V = 13.1, B9.5+A0, e = 0.40), which we use to determine its relative and absolute parameters. The absolute masses, radii, and temperatures are M A = 2.33 ± 0.07 M⊙, R A = 1.90 ± 0.04 R ⊙, and T A = 9960 ± 60 K for the primary and M B = 2.23±0.07 M⊙, R B = 1.86 ± 0.04 R ⊙, and T B = 9700 ± 80 K for the secondary. The system displays a slow periastron advance that is dominated by General Relativity (GR). Our measurement, deg century−1, is 32% less then the expected rate, deg century−1, which has an 83% contribution from GR. A comparison with current stellar evolution models shows a good match to the measured properties at an age of about 130 Myr and Solar abundance. The photometric parallax of the system π = 0.73 ± 0.04 mas, matches the GAIA DR2 value, π = 0.76 ± 0.04 mas.