1,720,956 research outputs found
Assessment of optimal growth conditions for biomass and exopolysaccharides production in the thermotolerant cyanobacterium Phormidium sp. ETS-05
Full text linkPhormidium sp. ETS-05 is one of the target cyanobacteria species conferring anti-inflammatory properties to the therapeutic muds applied by spas of the Euganean Thermal District (Italy) to treat arthro-rheumatic pathologies. Beneficial mud is prepared by spas following a traditional method, called maturation, leading to the growth of a specific microbiota on natural raw clay irrigated by flowing thermal water at 37–47 °C for about two months. The effectiveness of the mud is related to heat, electrolytes and bioactive molecules synthesized by the microbiota. A clear role in the anti-inflammatory activity of muds has been demonstrated for the exopolysaccharides, EPS, produced by the entire microbiota and Phormidium sp. ETS-05.
Considering the interest in this species, we assessed its optimal growth conditions to obtain the higher EPS production in relation to temperature, light spectra, and intensity and nitrogen availability. The production of biomass and pigments was also taken into account, as other high-value compounds can be obtained in parallel with EPS. We found that exposure to a temperature of 45 °C under white light at 100 μmol photons m−2 s−1 is optimal to reach the highest biomass (1.13 g L−1) and an average production of 75 mg gDW−1 phycocyanin and of 150 mg gDW−1 EPS for Phormidium sp. ETS-05 cultured in lab-scale photobioreactors for 9 days. Putative genes linked with EPS assembly and export have also been identified in its genome, some of which have been investigated for their expression levels, opening up the possibility of biotechnologically boost EPS production
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Microbiota of the therapeutic Euganean thermal muds with a focus on the main cyanobacteria species
Full text linkThe Euganean Thermal District has been known since Roman times for the therapeutic properties of peloids, obtained from natural clays that have undergone a traditional maturation process. This leads to the growth of a green microbial biofilm with Cyanobacteria and the target species Phormidium sp. ETS-05 as fundamental components for their ability to synthetize anti-inflammatory molecules. Currently, in-depth studies on the microbiota colonizing Euganean peloids, as in general on peloids utilized worldwide, are missing. This is the first characterization of the microbial community of Euganean thermal muds, also investigating the effects of environmental factors on its composition. We analysed 53 muds from 29 sites (Spas) using a polyphasic approach, finding a stable microbiota peculiar to the area. Differences among mud samples mainly depended on two parameters: water temperature and shading of mud maturation plants. In the range 37–47◦ C and in the case of irradiance attenuation due to the presence of protective roofs, a statistically significant higher mud Chl a content was detected. Moreover, in these conditions, a characteristic microbial and Cyanobacteria population composition dominated by Phormidium sp. ETS-05 was observed. We also obtained the complete genome sequence of this target species using a mixed sequencing approach based on Illumina and Nanopore sequencing
Kovacikia euganea sp. nov. (Leptolyngbyaceae, Cyanobacteria), a new chlorophyll f producing cyanobacterium from the Euganean Thermal District (Italy)
Full text link: Hot springs are considered modern terrestrial environments analogous to Archean continental surfaces, where photosynthetic life could have evolved. In this habitat cyanobacteria dominate thanks to the adaptations to high temperature and the capability to acclimate to low light intensity and far-red enriched spectra typical of microbial biofilms. The isolation and characterization of new cyanobacterial species from these environments is fundamental to discover genetic and physiological traits allowing them to thrive under such unfavorable conditions, giving useful information to understand the evolution and plasticity of oxygenic photosynthesis as well as to assess their metabolic biodiversity for biotechnological purposes. In this study, we present the polyphasic characterization of a filamentous cyanobacterium, denominated strain ETS-13, isolated from mud biofilms collected in the Euganean Thermal District (Italy). The area is known since ancient times for the presence of thermal springs and muds exploited for the beneficial properties linked to heat, electrolytes, and organic compounds produced by the microbiota. The ETS-13 genome was assembled and annotated, while phylogenetic analyzes were performed using a combined approach based on the 16S rRNA sequence and considering the 16S-23S ITS secondary structures. In addition, morphological, biochemical, and physiological features of the organism were investigated, allowing its classification as a new species of the Kovacikia genus, named Kovacikia euganea, which formed a cluster with other species of Leptolyngbyaceae from thermal environments. Interestingly, the strain was the first isolated in Italy capable of performing Far-Red Light Photoacclimation (FaRLiP) when exposed to far-red light, a feature found in other species of the same genus so far tested for this acclimation and isolated form geographically distant and different environments
Oral Palatability and Owners’ Perception of the Effect of Increasing Amounts of Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) in the Diet of a Cohort of Healthy Dogs and Cats
Full text linkThe nutraceutical supplementation of Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) in dogs and cats has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the dietary supplementation of increasing amounts of Spirulina for 6 weeks is palatable to pets and to assess the owner’s perception of such supplementation. The owners of the 60 dogs and 30 cats that participated in this study were instructed to daily provide Spirulina tablets starting with a daily amount of 0.4 g, 0.8 g, and 1.2 g for cats as well as small dogs, medium dogs, and large dogs, respectively, and allowing a dose escalation of 2× and 3× every 2 weeks. The daily amount (g/kg BW) of Spirulina ranged from 0.08 to 0.25 for cats, from 0.06 to 0.19 for small-sized dogs, from 0.05 to 0.15 for medium-sized dogs, and from 0.04 to 0.12 for large-sized dogs. Each owner completed a questionnaire at the time of recruitment and the end of each 2-week period. No significant effect on the fecal score, defecation frequency, vomiting, scratching, lacrimation, general health status, and behavioral attitudes was detected by the owners’ reported evaluations. Most animals accepted Spirulina tablets either administrated alone or mixed with food in the bowl. Daily supplementation of Spirulina for 6 weeks in the amounts provided in this study is therefore palatable and well tolerated by dogs and cats
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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