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Adachi I, Aggarwal L, Ahmed H, Aihara H, Akopov N, Aloisio A, Anh Ky N, Asner DM, Aushev T, Aushev V, Bae H, Bambade P, Banerjee S, Baudot J, Bauer M, Beaubien A, Becker J, Behera PK, Bennett JV, Bernieri E, Bernlochner FU, Bertacchi V, Bertemes M, Bertholet E, Bessner M, Bettarini S, Bhuyan B, Bianchi F, Bilka T, Biswas D, Bodrov D, Bolz A, Borah J, Bozek A, Bračko M, Branchini P, Browder TE, Budano A, Bussino S, Campajola M, Cao L, Casarosa G, Chang MC, Cheema P, Chekelian V, Chen YQ, Chilikin K, Chirapatpimol K, Cho HE, Cho K, Cho SJ, Choi SK, Choudhury S, Cinabro D, Corona L, Cunliffe S, Das S, Dattola F, De La Cruz-Burelo E, De La Motte SA, De Nardo G, De Nuccio M, De Pietro G, de Sangro R, Destefanis M, Dey S, De Yta-Hernandez A, Dhamija R, Di Canto A, Di Capua F, Doležal Z, Domínguez Jiménez I, Dong TV, Dorigo M, Dort K, Dreyer S, Dubey S, Dujany G, Eliachevitch M, Feichtinger P, Ferber T, Ferlewicz D, Fillinger T, Finocchiaro G, Fodor A, Forti F, Fulsom BG, Ganiev E, Gaur V, Gaz A, Gellrich A, Ghevondyan G, Giordano R, Giri A, Glazov A, Gobbo B, Godang R, Goldenzweig P, Granderath S, Graziani E, Greenwald D, Gu T, Guan Y, Gudkova K, Guilliams J, Hara T, Hayasaka K, Hayashii H, Hazra S, Hearty C, Heredia de la Cruz I, Hernández Villanueva M, Hershenhorn A, Higuchi T, Hill EC, Hirata H, Hohmann M, Hsu CL, Iijima T, Inami K, Inguglia G, Ipsita N, Ishikawa A, Ito S, Iwasaki M, Jackson P, Jacobs WW, Jaffe DE, Jang EJ, Ji QP, Jia S, Jin Y, Joo KK, Junkerkalefeld H, Kaliyar AB, Kang KH, Karl R, Karyan G, Ketter C, Kiesling C, Kim CH, Kim DY, Kim KH, Kim YK, Kindo H, Kodyš P, Koga T, Kohani S, Kojima K, Konno T, Korobov A, Korpar S, Kovalenko E, Kowalewski R, Kraetzschmar TMG, Križan P, Krokovny P, Kumar R, Kumara K, Kunigo T, Kuzmin A, Kwon YJ, Lacaprara S, Lam T, Lanceri L, Lange JS, Laurenza M, Lautenbach K, Leboucher R, Lewis PM, Li C, Li LK, Libby J, Lieret K, Liptak Z, Liu QY, Liventsev D, Longo S, Lozar A, Lueck T, Lyu C, Maggiora M, Maiti R, Manfredi R, Manoni E, Marcello S, Marinas C, Martel L, Martini A, Martinov T, Massaccesi L, Masuda M, Matsuoka K, Maurya SK, McKenna JA, Merola M, Metzner F, Milesi M, Miller C, Miyabayashi K, Mizuk R, Molina-Gonzalez N, Moneta S, Moser HG, Mrvar M, Mussa R, Nakamura I, Nakao M, Nakazawa Y, Narimani Charan A, Naruki M, Natkaniec Z, Natochii A, Nayak L, Nayak M, Nazaryan G, Nisar NK, Ogawa S, Ono H, Onuki Y, Oskin P, Paladino A, Panta A, Paoloni E, Pardi S, Park H, Park SH, Paschen B, Passeri A, Paul S, Pedlar TK, Peruzzi I, Peschke R, Pestotnik R, Piccolo M, Piilonen LE, Podesta-Lerma PLM, Podobnik T, Pokharel S, Polat L, Praz C, Prell S, Prencipe E, Prim MT, Purwar H, Rad N, Raiz S, Ramirez Morales A, Reif M, Reiter S, Remnev M, Ripp-Baudot I, Rizzo G, Robertson SH, Roney JM, Rostomyan A, Rout N, Russo G, Sanders DA, Sandilya S, Sangal A, Santelj L, Sato Y, Savinov V, Scavino B, Schueler J, Schwanda C, Seino Y, Selce A, Senyo K, Serrano J, Sevior ME, Sfienti C, Shen CP, Shi XD, Shillington T, Sibidanov A, Singh JB, Skorupa J, Sobie RJ, Soffer A, Solovieva E, Spataro S, Starič M, Stefkova S, Stottler ZS, Stroili R, Sue Y, Sumihama M, Sumisawa K, Sutcliffe W, Suzuki SY, Svidras H, Takizawa M, Tanida K, Tanigawa H, Tenchini F, Thaller A, Tiwary R, Tonelli D, Torassa E, Toutounji N, Trabelsi K, Uchida M, Ueda I, Uematsu Y, Uglov T, Unger K, Unno Y, Uno K, Uno S, Ushiroda Y, Vahsen SE, van Tonder R, Varner GS, Vinokurova A, Vitale L, Vobbilisetti V, Wakeling HM, Wang E, Wang MZ, Warburton A, Watanuki S, Welsch M, Wessel C, Won E, Xu XP, Yabsley BD, Yamada S, Yan W, Yang SB, Ye H, Yelton J, Yin JH, Yook YM, Yoshihara K, Yuan CZ, Zani L, Zhang Y, Zhou XY, Zhukova VI, Žlebčík R. Observation of e^{+}e^{-}→ωχ_{bJ}(1P) and Search for X_{b}→ωϒ(1S) at sqrt[s] near 10.75 GeV. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 130:091902. [PMID: 36930912 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.130.091902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We study the processes e^{+}e^{-}→ωχ_{bJ}(1P) (J=0, 1, or 2) using samples at center-of-mass energies sqrt[s]=10.701, 10.745, and 10.805 GeV, corresponding to 1.6, 9.8, and 4.7 fb^{-1} of integrated luminosity, respectively. These data were collected with the Belle II detector during special operations of the SuperKEKB collider above the ϒ(4S) resonance. We report the first observation of ωχ_{bJ}(1P) signals at sqrt[s]=10.745 GeV. By combining Belle II data with Belle results at sqrt[s]=10.867 GeV, we find energy dependencies of the Born cross sections for e^{+}e^{-}→ωχ_{b1,b2}(1P) to be consistent with the shape of the ϒ(10753) state. These data indicate that the internal structures of the ϒ(10753) and ϒ(10860) states may differ. Including data at sqrt[s]=10.653 GeV, we also search for the bottomonium equivalent of the X(3872) state decaying into ωϒ(1S). No significant signal is observed for masses between 10.45 and 10.65 GeV/c^{2}.
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Christmann J, Cao P, Becker J, Desiderato CK, Goldbeck O, Riedel CU, Kohlstedt M, Wittmann C. High-efficiency production of the antimicrobial peptide pediocin PA-1 in metabolically engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum using a microaerobic process at acidic pH and elevated levels of bivalent calcium ions. Microb Cell Fact 2023; 22:41. [PMID: 36849884 PMCID: PMC9969654 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-023-02044-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pediocin PA-1 is a bacteriocin of recognized value with applications in food bio-preservation and the medical sector for the prevention of infection. To date, industrial manufacturing of pediocin PA-1 is limited by high cost and low-performance. The recent establishment of the biotechnological workhorse Corynebacterium glutamicum as recombinant host for pediocin PA-1 synthesis displays a promising starting point towards more efficient production. RESULTS Here, we optimized the fermentative production process. Following successful simplification of the production medium, we carefully investigated the impact of dissolved oxygen, pH value, and the presence of bivalent calcium ions on pediocin production. It turned out that the formation of the peptide was strongly supported by an acidic pH of 5.7 and microaerobic conditions at a dissolved oxygen level of 2.5%. Furthermore, elevated levels of CaCl2 boosted production. The IPTG-inducible producer C. glutamicum CR099 pXMJ19 Ptac pedACDCg provided 66 mg L-1 of pediocin PA-1 in a two-phase batch process using the optimized set-up. In addition, the novel constitutive strain Ptuf pedACDCg allowed successful production without the need for IPTG. CONCLUSIONS The achieved pediocin titer surpasses previous efforts in various microbes up to almost seven-fold, providing a valuable step to further explore and develop this important bacteriocin. In addition to its high biosynthetic performance C. glutamicum proved to be highly robust under the demanding producing conditions, suggesting its further use as host for bacteriocin production.
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Abudinén F, Aggarwal L, Ahmed H, Ahn JK, Aihara H, Akopov N, Aloisio A, Anh Ky N, Asner DM, Atmacan H, Aushev T, Aushev V, Babu V, Bae H, Bambade P, Banerjee S, Bansal S, Baudot J, Bauer M, Baur A, Beaubien A, Becker J, Bennett JV, Bernieri E, Bernlochner FU, Bertacchi V, Bertemes M, Bertholet E, Bessner M, Bettarini S, Bhardwaj V, Bianchi F, Bilka T, Biswas D, Bodrov D, Bolz A, Bonvicini G, Bozek A, Bračko M, Branchini P, Briere RA, Browder TE, Budano A, Bussino S, Campajola M, Cao L, Casarosa G, Cecchi C, Chang MC, Chang P, Cheaib R, Cheema P, Chen C, Chen YQ, Chen YT, Cheon BG, Chilikin K, Chirapatpimol K, Cho HE, Cho K, Cho SJ, Choi SK, Choudhury S, Cinabro D, Corona L, Cremaldi LM, Cunliffe S, Dattola F, De La Cruz-Burelo E, De La Motte SA, De Nardo G, De Nuccio M, De Pietro G, de Sangro R, Destefanis M, De Yta-Hernandez A, Dhamija R, Di Canto A, Di Capua F, Dingfelder J, Doležal Z, Domínguez Jiménez I, Dong TV, Dorigo M, Dort K, Dossett D, Dreyer S, Dujany G, Eliachevitch M, Epifanov D, Feichtinger P, Ferber T, Ferlewicz D, Fillinger T, Finocchiaro G, Flood K, Fodor A, Forti F, Frey A, Fulsom BG, Gabrielli A, Ganiev E, Garcia-Hernandez M, Gaz A, Gellrich A, Ghevondyan G, Giordano R, Giri A, Glazov A, Gobbo B, Godang R, Goldenzweig P, Gradl W, Granderath S, Greenwald D, Gu T, Guan Y, Gudkova K, Guilliams J, Halder S, Hara K, Hartbrich O, Hayasaka K, Hayashii H, Hazra S, Hearty C, Heredia de la Cruz I, Hernández Villanueva M, Hershenhorn A, Higuchi T, Hohmann M, Humair T, Iijima T, Inami K, Inguglia G, Ipsita N, Ishikawa A, Ito S, Itoh R, Iwasaki M, Iwasaki Y, Jackson P, Jacobs WW, Jaffe DE, Ji QP, Jin Y, Junkerkalefeld H, Kaleta M, Kandra J, Kang KH, Karl R, Karyan G, Kiesling C, Kim CH, Kim DY, Kim KH, Kim YK, Kindo H, Kinoshita K, Kodyš P, Koga T, Kohani S, Kojima K, Korobov A, Korpar S, Kovalenko E, Kowalewski R, Kraetzschmar TMG, Križan P, Krokovny P, Kuhr T, Kumar J, Kumar R, Kumara K, Kunigo T, Kwon YJ, Lacaprara S, Lam T, Lanceri L, Lange JS, Laurenza M, Leboucher R, Lee SC, Leitl P, Levit D, Li LK, Li SX, Li YB, Libby J, Liptak Z, Liu QY, Liventsev D, Longo S, Lueck T, Lyu C, Maggiora M, Maiti R, Maity S, Manfredi R, Manoni E, Marcello S, Marinas C, Martel L, Martini A, Massaccesi L, Masuda M, Matsuoka K, Matvienko D, McKenna JA, Meier F, Merola M, Milesi M, Miller C, Miyabayashi K, Mohanty GB, Molina-Gonzalez N, Moneta S, Moon H, Moser HG, Mrvar M, Mussa R, Nakamura I, Nakao M, Nakayama H, Narimani Charan A, Naruki M, Natkaniec Z, Natochii A, Nayak L, Nayak M, Nazaryan G, Niebuhr C, Nisar NK, Nishida S, Nishimura K, Ono H, Oskin P, Oxford ER, Pakhlova G, Paladino A, Panta A, Paoloni E, Pardi S, Parham K, Park H, Park SH, Passeri A, Pedlar TK, Peruzzi I, Peschke R, Pestotnik R, Pham F, Piilonen LE, Pinna Angioni G, Podesta-Lerma PLM, Podobnik T, Pokharel S, Polat L, Praz C, Prell S, Prencipe E, Prim MT, Purwar H, Rad N, Rados P, Raiz S, Reif M, Reiter S, Ripp-Baudot I, Rizzo G, Robertson SH, Roney JM, Rostomyan A, Rout N, Russo G, Sanders DA, Sandilya S, Sangal A, Santelj L, Sato Y, Savinov V, Scavino B, Schwanda C, Schwartz AJ, Seino Y, Selce A, Senyo K, Serrano J, Sfienti C, Shen CP, Shillington T, Shiu JG, Sibidanov A, Simon F, Sobie RJ, Soffer A, Sokolov A, Solovieva E, Spataro S, Spruck B, Starič M, Stefkova S, Stroili R, Strube J, Sumihama M, Sumisawa K, Sutcliffe W, Suzuki SY, Svidras H, Takahashi M, Takizawa M, Tamponi U, Tanaka S, Tanida K, Tanigawa H, Taniguchi N, Tenchini F, Tiwary R, Tonelli D, Torassa E, Toutounji N, Trabelsi K, Uchida M, Unger K, Unno Y, Uno K, Uno S, Urquijo P, Ushiroda Y, Vahsen SE, van Tonder R, Varner GS, Varvell KE, Vinokurova A, Vitale L, Vobbilisetti V, Waheed E, Wakeling HM, Wang E, Wang MZ, Wang XL, Warburton A, Watanuki S, Welsch M, Wessel C, Wiechczynski J, Windel H, Won E, Xu XP, Yabsley BD, Yamada S, Yang SB, Ye H, Yelton J, Yin JH, Yoshihara K, Yusa Y, Zhang Y, Zhilich V, Zhou QD, Zhukova VI, Žlebčík R. Measurement of the Λ_{c}^{+} Lifetime. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 130:071802. [PMID: 36867815 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.130.071802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
An absolute measurement of the Λ_{c}^{+} lifetime is reported using Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+} decays in events reconstructed from data collected by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB asymmetric-energy electron-positron collider. The total integrated luminosity of the data sample, which was collected at center-of-mass energies at or near the ϒ(4S) resonance, is 207.2 fb^{-1}. The result, τ(Λ_{c}^{+})=203.20±0.89±0.77 fs, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic, is the most precise measurement to date and is consistent with previous determinations.
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Abudinén F, Adachi I, Aggarwal L, Aihara H, Akopov N, Aloisio A, Anh Ky N, Asner DM, Atmacan H, Aushev T, Aushev V, Babu V, Bahinipati S, Bambade P, Banerjee S, Bansal S, Baudot J, Baur A, Beaubien A, Becker J, Behera PK, Bennett JV, Bernieri E, Bernlochner FU, Bertemes M, Bertholet E, Bessner M, Bhuyan B, Bianchi F, Bilka T, Biswas D, Bobrov A, Bodrov D, Bolz A, Bozek A, Bračko M, Branchini P, Browder TE, Budano A, Bussino S, Campajola M, Casarosa G, Cecchi C, Chekelian V, Chen C, Chen YQ, Cheon BG, Chilikin K, Chirapatpimol K, Cho HE, Cho K, Cho SJ, Choi SK, Choudhury S, Cinabro D, Corona L, Cunliffe S, Dattola F, de Marino G, De Nardo G, De Nuccio M, De Pietro G, de Sangro R, Destefanis M, Dey S, De Yta-Hernandez A, Dhamija R, Di Canto A, Di Capua F, Dingfelder J, Doležal Z, Domínguez Jiménez I, Dong TV, Dorigo M, Dort K, Dossett D, Dreyer S, Dubey S, Dujany G, Eliachevitch M, Epifanov D, Feichtinger P, Ferber T, Ferlewicz D, Fillinger T, Finck C, Finocchiaro G, Flood K, Fodor A, Forti F, Frey A, Fulsom BG, Ganiev E, Garcia-Hernandez M, Gaur V, Gaz A, Gellrich A, Giordano R, Giri A, Gobbo B, Godang R, Goldenzweig P, Gradl W, Granderath S, Graziani E, Greenwald D, Gu T, Gudkova K, Guilliams J, Hadjivasiliou C, Hara K, Hara T, Hayasaka K, Hayashii H, Hazra S, Hearty C, Hedges MT, Heredia de la Cruz I, Hernández Villanueva M, Hershenhorn A, Higuchi T, Hill EC, Hoek M, Hohmann M, Hsu CL, Iijima T, Inami K, Inguglia G, Ipsita N, Ishikawa A, Ito S, Itoh R, Iwasaki M, Jackson P, Jacobs WW, Jaffe DE, Jang EJ, Ji QP, Jia S, Jin Y, Junkerkalefeld H, Kakuno H, Kaliyar AB, Kandra J, Kang KH, Karl R, Karyan G, Kawasaki T, Ketter C, Kichimi H, Kiesling C, Kim CH, Kim DY, Kim KH, Kim YK, Kinoshita K, Kodyš P, Koga T, Kohani S, Kojima K, Konno T, Korobov A, Korpar S, Kovalenko E, Kowalewski R, Kraetzschmar TMG, Križan P, Krokovny P, Kuhr T, Kumar R, Kumara K, Kunigo T, Kwon YJ, Lacaprara S, Lai YT, Lam T, Lange JS, Laurenza M, Leboucher R, Lee SC, Li LK, Li YB, Libby J, Lieret K, Liu QY, Liventsev D, Longo S, Lozar A, Lueck T, Lyu C, Maggiora M, Maiti R, Maity S, Manfredi R, Manoni E, Marcello S, Marinas C, Martel L, Martini A, Massaccesi L, Masuda M, Matsuoka K, McKenna JA, Meier F, Merola M, Metzner F, Milesi M, Miller C, Miyabayashi K, Mohanty GB, Molina-Gonzalez N, Moneta S, Moon H, Mrvar M, Nakamura I, Nakamura KR, Nakao M, Nakayama H, Narimani Charan A, Naruki M, Natkaniec Z, Natochii A, Nayak L, Nayak M, Nisar NK, Nishida S, Nishimura K, Ogawa S, Ono H, Oskin P, Pakhlova G, Paladino A, Panta A, Pardi S, Parham K, Park H, Park SH, Passeri A, Patra S, Paul S, Pedlar TK, Piccolo M, Piilonen LE, Pinna Angioni G, Podesta-Lerma PLM, Podobnik T, Pokharel S, Polat L, Praz C, Prell S, Prencipe E, Prim MT, Purwar H, Rad N, Rados P, Raiz S, Ramirez Morales A, Reif M, Reiter S, Remnev M, Ripp-Baudot I, Rizzo G, Robertson SH, Rodríguez Pérez D, Roney JM, Rostomyan A, Rout N, Sahoo D, Sanders DA, Sandilya S, Santelj L, Sato Y, Scavino B, Schueler J, Schwanda C, Seino Y, Selce A, Senyo K, Serrano J, Sevior ME, Sfienti C, Shillington T, Shiu JG, Sibidanov A, Simon F, Singh JB, Skorupa J, Soffer A, Sokolov A, Solovieva E, Spataro S, Spruck B, Starič M, Stefkova S, Stottler ZS, Stroili R, Sumihama M, Sumisawa K, Sutcliffe W, Suzuki SY, Svidras H, Tabata M, Takizawa M, Tamponi U, Tanaka S, Tanida K, Tanigawa H, Tenchini F, Tiwary R, Tonelli D, Torassa E, Toutounji N, Trabelsi K, Uchida M, Ueda I, Uematsu Y, Uglov T, Unger K, Unno Y, Uno K, Uno S, Ushiroda Y, Vahsen SE, van Tonder R, Varner GS, Varvell KE, Vinokurova A, Vitale L, Vobbilisetti V, Waheed E, Wakeling HM, Wang E, Wang MZ, Warburton A, Watanabe M, Watanuki S, Welsch M, Wessel C, Windel H, Won E, Xu XP, Yabsley BD, Yamada S, Yan W, Yang SB, Ye H, Yin JH, Yoshihara K, Yuan CZ, Yusa Y, Zani L, Zhang Y, Zhilich V, Zhou QD, Zhou XY, Zhukova VI, Žlebčík R. Search for a Dark Photon and an Invisible Dark Higgs Boson in μ^{+}μ^{-} and Missing Energy Final States with the Belle II Experiment. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 130:071804. [PMID: 36867830 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.130.071804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The dark photon A^{'} and the dark Higgs boson h^{'} are hypothetical particles predicted in many dark sector models. We search for the simultaneous production of A^{'} and h^{'} in the dark Higgsstrahlung process e^{+}e^{-}→A^{'}h^{'} with A^{'}→μ^{+}μ^{-} and h^{'} invisible in electron-positron collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV in data collected by the Belle II experiment in 2019. With an integrated luminosity of 8.34 fb^{-1}, we observe no evidence for signal. We obtain exclusion limits at 90% Bayesian credibility in the range of 1.7-5.0 fb on the cross section and in the range of 1.7×10^{-8}-200×10^{-8} on the effective coupling ϵ^{2}×α_{D} for the A^{'} mass in the range of 4.0 GeV/c^{2}<M_{A^{'}}<9.7 GeV/c^{2} and for the h^{'} mass M_{h^{'}}<M_{A^{'}}, where ϵ is the mixing strength between the standard model and the dark photon and α_{D} is the coupling of the dark photon to the dark Higgs boson. Our limits are the first in this mass range.
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Jungmann L, Hoffmann SL, Lang C, De Agazio R, Becker J, Kohlstedt M, Wittmann C. High-efficiency production of 5-hydroxyectoine using metabolically engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:274. [PMID: 36578077 PMCID: PMC9798599 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-02003-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Extremolytes enable microbes to withstand even the most extreme conditions in nature. Due to their unique protective properties, the small organic molecules, more and more, become high-value active ingredients for the cosmetics and the pharmaceutical industries. While ectoine, the industrial extremolyte flagship, has been successfully commercialized before, an economically viable route to its highly interesting derivative 5-hydroxyectoine (hydroxyectoine) is not existing. RESULTS Here, we demonstrate high-level hydroxyectoine production, using metabolically engineered strains of C. glutamicum that express a codon-optimized, heterologous ectD gene, encoding for ectoine hydroxylase, to convert supplemented ectoine in the presence of sucrose as growth substrate into the desired derivative. Fourteen out of sixteen codon-optimized ectD variants from phylogenetically diverse bacterial and archaeal donors enabled hydroxyectoine production, showing the strategy to work almost regardless of the origin of the gene. The genes from Pseudomonas stutzeri (PST) and Mycobacterium smegmatis (MSM) worked best and enabled hydroxyectoine production up to 97% yield. Metabolic analyses revealed high enrichment of the ectoines inside the cells, which, inter alia, reduced the synthesis of other compatible solutes, including proline and trehalose. After further optimization, C. glutamicum Ptuf ectDPST achieved a titre of 74 g L-1 hydroxyectoine at 70% selectivity within 12 h, using a simple batch process. In a two-step procedure, hydroxyectoine production from ectoine, previously synthesized fermentatively with C. glutamicum ectABCopt, was successfully achieved without intermediate purification. CONCLUSIONS C. glutamicum is a well-known and industrially proven host, allowing the synthesis of commercial products with granted GRAS status, a great benefit for a safe production of hydroxyectoine as active ingredient for cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. Because ectoine is already available at commercial scale, its use as precursor appears straightforward. In the future, two-step processes might provide hydroxyectoine de novo from sugar.
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Menuet A, Buono S, Robé A, Chhor S, Eyler L, Becker J, Colombo S, Cowling B. P.121 Dnm2 reduction combined with dystrophin re-expression ameliorates the myopathic phenotype observed in the D2-mdx model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Neuromuscul Disord 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nmd.2022.07.237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Becker J, Bette S, Decker J, Braun F, Haerting M, Scheurig-Münkler C, Kroencke T, Schwarz F. Spektrale Differenzierung zystischer Nierenläsionen in Kontrast-verstärkten Abdomen-Scans an einem Photon-Counting Detector CT – erste Erfahrungen. ROFO-FORTSCHR RONTG 2022. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1749913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Becker J. Community Health Perspektiven für eine
diversitätssensible gesundheitliche Versorgung, Prävention
& Gesundheitsförderung – Chancen
interdisziplinärer und interprofessioneller
Ansätze. DAS GESUNDHEITSWESEN 2022. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1753954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Puteanus U, Becker J, Bula DA. Sozialpharmazie, Community Health und Primärversorgung.
Chancen zur Verbesserung der Gesundheit der Bevölkerung durch eine
bessere Arzneimittelversorgung und innovative
Versorgungskonzepte. DAS GESUNDHEITSWESEN 2022. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1753953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Rohles C, Pauli S, Gießelmann G, Kohlstedt M, Becker J, Wittmann C. Systems metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum eliminates all by-products for selective and high-yield production of the platform chemical 5-aminovalerate. Metab Eng 2022; 73:168-181. [PMID: 35917915 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2022.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
5-aminovalerate (AVA) is a platform chemical of substantial commercial value to derive nylon-5 and five-carbon derivatives like δ-valerolactam, 1,5-pentanediol, glutarate, and 5-hydroxyvalerate. De-novo bio-production synthesis of AVA using metabolically engineered cell factories is regarded as exemplary route to provide this chemical in a sustainable way. So far, this route is limited by low titers, rates and yields and suffers from high levels of by-products. To overcome these limitations, we developed a novel family of AVA producing C. glutamicum cell factories. Stepwise optimization included (i) improved AVA biosynthesis by expression balancing of the heterologous davAB genes from P. putida, (ii) reduced formation of the by-product glutarate by disruption of the catabolic y-aminobutyrate pathway (iii), increased AVA export, and (iv) reduced AVA re-import via native and heterologous transporters to account for the accumulation of intracellular AVA up to 300 mM. Strain C. glutamicum AVA-5A, obtained after several optimization rounds, produced 48.3 g L-1 AVA in a fed-batch process and achieved a high yield of 0.21 g g-1. Surprisingly in later stages, the mutant suddenly accumulated glutarate to an extent equivalent to 30% of the amount of AVA formed, tenfold more than in the early process, displaying a severe drawback toward industrial production. Further exploration led to the discovery that ArgD, naturally aminating N-acetyl-l-ornithine during l-arginine biosynthesis, exhibits deaminating side activity on AVA toward glutarate formation. This promiscuity became relevant because of the high intracellular AVA level and the fact that ArgD became unoccupied with the gradually stronger switch-off of anabolism during production. Glutarate formation was favorably abolished in the advanced strains AVA-6A, AVA-6B, and AVA-7, all lacking argD. In a fed-batch process, C. glutamicum AVA-7 produced 46.5 g L-1 AVA at a yield of 0.34 g g-1 and a maximum productivity of 1.52 g L-1 h-1, outperforming all previously reported efforts and stetting a milestone toward industrial manufacturing of AVA. Notably, the novel cell factories are fully genome-based, offering high genetic stability and requiring no selection markers.
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Decker JA, Huber A, Senel F, Bette S, Braun F, Risch F, Woźnicki P, Becker J, Popp D, Haerting M, Jehs B, Rippel K, Wollny C, Scheurig-Muenkler C, Kroencke TJ, Schwarz F. Anemia Detection by Hemoglobin Quantification on Contrast-enhanced Photon-counting CT Data Sets. Radiology 2022; 305:650-652. [PMID: 35880983 DOI: 10.1148/radiol.220063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
See also the editorial by Dodd and MacDermott in this issue.
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Mayer F, Becker J, Reinauer C, Böhme P, Eickhoff SB, Koop B, Gündüz T, Blum J, Wagner W, Ritz-Timme S. Altered DNA methylation at age-associated CpG sites in children with growth disorders: impact on age estimation? Int J Legal Med 2022; 136:987-996. [PMID: 35551445 PMCID: PMC9170667 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-022-02826-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Age estimation based on DNA methylation (DNAm) can be applied to children, adolescents and adults, but many CG dinucleotides (CpGs) exhibit different kinetics of age-associated DNAm across these age ranges. Furthermore, it is still unclear how growth disorders impact epigenetic age predictions, and this may be particularly relevant for a forensic application. In this study, we analyzed buccal mucosa samples from 95 healthy children and 104 children with different growth disorders. DNAm was analysed by pyrosequencing for 22 CpGs in the genes PDE4C, ELOVL2, RPA2, EDARADD and DDO. The relationship between DNAm and age in healthy children was tested by Spearman's rank correlation. Differences in DNAm between the groups "healthy children" and the (sub-)groups of children with growth disorders were tested by ANCOVA. Models for age estimation were trained (1) based on the data from 11 CpGs with a close correlation between DNAm and age (R ≥ 0.75) and (2) on five CpGs that also did not present significant differences in DNAm between healthy and diseased children. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the healthy group and the group with growth disorders (11 CpGs), the subgroup with a short stature (12 CpGs) and the non-short stature subgroup (three CpGs). The results are in line with the assumption of an epigenetic regulation of height-influencing genes. Age predictors trained on 11 CpGs with high correlations between DNAm and age revealed higher mean absolute errors (MAEs) in the group of growth disorders (mean MAE 2.21 years versus MAE 1.79 in the healthy group) as well as in the short stature (sub-)groups; furthermore, there was a clear tendency for overestimation of ages in all growth disorder groups (mean age deviations: total growth disorder group 1.85 years, short stature group 1.99 years). Age estimates on samples from children with growth disorders were more precise when using a model containing only the five CpGs that did not present significant differences in DNAm between healthy and diseased children (mean age deviations: total growth disorder group 1.45 years, short stature group 1.66 years). The results suggest that CpGs in genes involved in processes relevant for growth and development should be avoided in age prediction models for children since they may be sensitive for alterations in the DNAm pattern in cases of growth disorders.
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Becker J. Commentary on the Survey of the American Society of Neuroradiology Membership on the Use and Value of Intracranial Vessel Wall MRI. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2022; 43:958-959. [PMID: 35772804 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a7547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Becker J, Decker JA, Römmele C, Kahn M, Messmann H, Wehler M, Schwarz F, Kroencke T, Scheurig-Muenkler C. Artificial Intelligence-Based Detection of Pneumonia in Chest Radiographs. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12061465. [PMID: 35741276 PMCID: PMC9221818 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12061465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Artificial intelligence is gaining increasing relevance in the field of radiology. This study retrospectively evaluates how a commercially available deep learning algorithm can detect pneumonia in chest radiographs (CR) in emergency departments. The chest radiographs of 948 patients with dyspnea between 3 February and 8 May 2020, as well as 15 October and 15 December 2020, were used. A deep learning algorithm was used to identify opacifications associated with pneumonia, and the performance was evaluated by using ROC analysis, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV. Two radiologists assessed all enrolled images for pulmonal infection patterns as the reference standard. If consolidations or opacifications were present, the radiologists classified the pulmonal findings regarding a possible COVID-19 infection because of the ongoing pandemic. The AUROC value of the deep learning algorithm reached 0.923 when detecting pneumonia in chest radiographs with a sensitivity of 95.4%, specificity of 66.0%, PPV of 80.2% and NPV of 90.8%. The detection of COVID-19 pneumonia in CR by radiologists was achieved with a sensitivity of 50.6% and a specificity of 73%. The deep learning algorithm proved to be an excellent tool for detecting pneumonia in chest radiographs. Thus, the assessment of suspicious chest radiographs can be purposefully supported, shortening the turnaround time for reporting relevant findings and aiding early triage.
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Gaujoux-Viala C, Dernis E, Senbel E, Herman-Demars H, Becker J, Flipo RM. AB1449 ADHERENCE TO MTX AT INITIATION OF FIRST TARGETED THERAPY (PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS): RESULTS OF THE STRATEGE2 STUDY. Ann Rheum Dis 2022. [DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2022-eular.3683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BackgroundTreatment adherence is a major challenge in chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease (CIRD). Mainly studied in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), this ranges from 30 to 80% [1]. Given the impact of non-adherence to disease-modifying therapy among RA patients, guidelines aiming to facilitate management of adherence were published in 2019 [2]. These guidelines highlight the multifactorial characteristics and importance of clarifying the factors determining non-adherence. In addition, treatment adherence was also listed as a point to consider for the management of difficult-to-treat RA by an EULAR task force [3].ObjectivesBased on inclusion results of STRATEGE 2 we explore the adherence to methotrexate (MTX) and its associated factors prior to initiation of a first targeted therapy.MethodsThe objective of STRATEGE2 is to describe the therapeutic strategy in RA patients treated with MTX for at least 3 months, naive of targeted biological (bDMARD) or synthetic (tsDMARD) therapy and who are candidates for initiation of first b/tsDMARD therapy due to RA activity. Patients were included prospectively in 2019-2020 and completed the Compliance Questionnaire for Rheumatology (CQR) [4], a self-administered questionnaire specific to rheumatology, measuring treatment adherence. They were then divided into 2 groups: adherence (Ad) (CQR19>80) vs. non-adherence (NAd) to investigate factors liable to be associated with adherence. Then, univariate and multivariate analysis was applied to identify potential predictors for adherence.ResultsBetween Feb. 2019 and Dec. 2020, 230 patients were included, with 124 RA patients having an analysable CQR19: 73.4% females, mean age 56.6 years (±13.2), diagnosed 5.6 years (±7.4) previously, treatment with MTX for 4.4 years (±5.3) and a mean DAS of 4.3 (±1.2). The mean CQR score was 75.8. Patient distribution: 45.2% in the Ad group and 54.8% in the NAd group.Table 1.At baseline (before b/tsDMARD initiation)Ad - N=56NAd - N=68pSex: female73.2%73.5%-Age (mean)59.3 (±13.6)54.4 (±12.4)p < 0.05BMI (mean)27.2 (±7.0)25.0 (±4.7)p < 0.15Still in work39.3%55.9%p < 0.15At least 1 comorbidity60.7%47.1%p < 0.15Positive anti-CCP67.9%80.6%p < 0.15Positive rheumatoid factor69.8%84.8%p < 0.05Radiological signs57.1%41.8%p < 0.15RA duration (years)4.9 ±6.76.3 ±8.0-Average MTX initiation (years)4.0 ±4.74.8 ±5.7-Per os MTX28.6%29.4%-→ mean dosage (mg/week)16.4 ±4.515.6 ±4.6Subcutaneous MTX69.6%70.6%-→ mean dosage (mg/week)20.1 ±4.619.4 ±3.3-Intramuscular MTX1.8%0%-Patients self-administration30.0%12.5%P < 0.05Corticosteroid therapy53%50.6%-→ mean dosage (mg/day)8.1 ±4.19.5 ±5.8Mean DAS284.5 ± 1.34.2 ±1.2-Mean HAQ1.1 ± 0.70.9 ±0.7p < 0.15In the multivariate analysis, no formal predictive factors to MTX adherence was identified except BMI>30kg/m2 (odds ratio, OR (95% confidence interval, CI)=4.00, 1.08-14.86, p=0,038) and adherents who estimate having completely participate to the decision-making for the targeted therapy (OR (95% CI)=6.41, 2.32-17.65, p<0.001).ConclusionIn this cohort, beyond the recently published guidelines, nearly half of patients do not show adherence to MTX (CQR19-based evaluation) before initiation of b/tsDMARD. As physicians tend to overestimate adherence to medication, clarification of the factors associated with non-adherence would help improve patient assessment and, therefore, management. Supplementary data on patients’ adherence evolution and adherence predictors, might be observed on the follow-up data at 12 and 24 months of this cohort.References[1]Beauvais C, et al. Joint Bone Spine 2020;87(6):668-669.[2]Gossec C, et al. Joint Bone Spine 2019;86(1):13-19.[3]Nagy G, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2021;0:1–14.[4]De Klerk E, et al. J Rheumatol 2003;30(11):2469-2475AcknowledgementsThe authors wish to acknowledge RCTs for their contribution to the statistical analysis, the investigators, centres and patients.Disclosure of InterestsCécile Gaujoux-Viala Speakers bureau: AbbVie; Amgen; Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb; Celgene; Eli Lilly; Galapagos; Gilead Sciences, Inc.; Janssen; Medac; Merck-Serono; Mylan; Nordic Pharma; Novartis; Pfizer; Roche; Sandoz; Sanofi; and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie; Amgen; Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb; Celgene; Eli Lilly; Galapagos; Gilead Sciences, Inc.; Janssen; Medac; Merck-Serono; Mylan; Nordic Pharma; Novartis; Pfizer; Roche; Sandoz; Sanofi; and UCB, Emmanuelle Dernis Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, MSD, Nordic Pharma, Roche-Chugaï Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz, Sanofi and UCB Pharma., Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, MSD, Nordic Pharma, Roche-Chugaï Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz, Sanofi and UCB Pharma., Eric Senbel Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Biogen, Janssen, Lilly, MSD, Nordic Pharma, Pfizer Roche-Chugai and Sandoz, Sanofi., Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Biogen, Janssen, Lilly, MSD, Nordic Pharma, Pfizer Roche-Chugai and Sandoz, Sanofi., Hélène Herman-Demars Employee of: Nordic Pharma France, Jennifer Becker Employee of: Nordic Pharma France, René-Marc Flipo Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli-Lilly, Janssen, Medac, MSD, Nordic-Pharma, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche-Chugaï, and Sanofi., Consultant of: Abbvie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli-Lilly, Janssen, Medac, MSD, Nordic-Pharma, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche-Chugaï, and Sanofi.
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Bette S, Decker JA, Braun FM, Becker J, Haerting M, Haeckel T, Gebhard M, Risch F, Woźnicki P, Scheurig-Muenkler C, Kroencke TJ, Schwarz F. Optimal Conspicuity of Liver Metastases in Virtual Monochromatic Imaging Reconstructions on a Novel Photon-Counting Detector CT—Effect of keV Settings and BMI. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12051231. [PMID: 35626387 PMCID: PMC9140684 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12051231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In dual-energy CT datasets, the conspicuity of liver metastases can be enhanced by virtual monoenergetic imaging (VMI) reconstructions at low keV levels. Our study investigated whether this effect can be reproduced in photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) datasets. We analyzed 100 patients with liver metastases who had undergone contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen on a PCD-CT (n = 50) or energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT, single-energy mode, n = 50). PCD-VMI-reconstructions were performed at various keV levels. Identical regions of interest were positioned in metastases, normal liver, and other defined locations assessing image noise, tumor-to-liver ratio (TLR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Patients were compared inter-individually. Subgroup analyses were performed according to BMI. On the PCD-CT, noise and CNR peaked at the low end of the keV spectrum. In comparison with the EID-CT, PCD-VMI-reconstructions exhibited lower image noise (at 70 keV) but higher CNR (for ≤70 keV), despite similar CTDIs. Comparing high- and low-BMI patients, CTDI-upregulation was more modest for the PCD-CT but still resulted in similar noise levels and preserved CNR, unlike the EID-CT. In conclusion, PCD-CT VMIs in oncologic patients demonstrated reduced image noise–compared to a standard EID-CT–and improved conspicuity of hypovascularized liver metastases at low keV values. Patients with higher BMIs especially benefited from constant image noise and preservation of lesion conspicuity, despite a more moderate upregulation of CTDI.
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Schulze D, Kohlstedt M, Becker J, Cahoreau E, Peyriga L, Makowka A, Hildebrandt S, Gutekunst K, Portais JC, Wittmann C. GC/MS-based 13C metabolic flux analysis resolves the parallel and cyclic photomixotrophic metabolism of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and selected deletion mutants including the Entner-Doudoroff and phosphoketolase pathways. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:69. [PMID: 35459213 PMCID: PMC9034593 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01790-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cyanobacteria receive huge interest as green catalysts. While exploiting energy from sunlight, they co-utilize sugar and CO2. This photomixotrophic mode enables fast growth and high cell densities, opening perspectives for sustainable biomanufacturing. The model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 possesses a complex architecture of glycolytic routes for glucose breakdown that are intertwined with the CO2-fixing Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle. To date, the contribution of these pathways to photomixotrophic metabolism has remained unclear. RESULTS Here, we developed a comprehensive approach for 13C metabolic flux analysis of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 during steady state photomixotrophic growth. Under these conditions, the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) and phosphoketolase (PK) pathways were found inactive but the microbe used the phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI) (63.1%) and the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPP) shunts (9.3%) to fuel the CBB cycle. Mutants that lacked the ED pathway, the PK pathway, or phosphofructokinases were not affected in growth under metabolic steady-state. An ED pathway-deficient mutant (Δeda) exhibited an enhanced CBB cycle flux and increased glycogen formation, while the OPP shunt was almost inactive (1.3%). Under fluctuating light, ∆eda showed a growth defect, different to wild type and the other deletion strains. CONCLUSIONS The developed approach, based on parallel 13C tracer studies with GC-MS analysis of amino acids, sugars, and sugar derivatives, optionally adding NMR data from amino acids, is valuable to study fluxes in photomixotrophic microbes to detail. In photomixotrophic cells, PGI and OPP form glycolytic shunts that merge at switch points and result in synergistic fueling of the CBB cycle for maximized CO2 fixation. However, redirected fluxes in an ED shunt-deficient mutant and the impossibility to delete this shunt in a GAPDH2 knockout mutant, indicate that either minor fluxes (below the resolution limit of 13C flux analysis) might exist that could provide catalytic amounts of regulatory intermediates or alternatively, that EDA possesses additional so far unknown functions. These ideas require further experiments.
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Becker J, Perreten V, Steiner A, Stucki D, Schüpbach-Regula G, Collaud A, Rossano A, Wüthrich D, Muff-Hausherr A, Meylan M. Antimicrobial susceptibility in E. coli and Pasteurellaceae at the beginning and at the end of the fattening process in veal calves: comparing ‘outdoor veal calf’ and conventional operations. Vet Microbiol 2022; 269:109419. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2022.109419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Becker J, Böhme P, Reckert A, Eickhoff SB, Koop BE, Blum J, Gündüz T, Takayama M, Wagner W, Ritz-Timme S. Evidence for differences in DNA methylation between Germans and Japanese. Int J Legal Med 2022; 136:405-413. [PMID: 34739581 PMCID: PMC8847189 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-021-02736-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
As a contribution to the discussion about the possible effects of ethnicity/ancestry on age estimation based on DNA methylation (DNAm) patterns, we directly compared age-associated DNAm in German and Japanese donors in one laboratory under identical conditions. DNAm was analyzed by pyrosequencing for 22 CpG sites (CpGs) in the genes PDE4C, RPA2, ELOVL2, DDO, and EDARADD in buccal mucosa samples from German and Japanese donors (N = 368 and N = 89, respectively).Twenty of these CpGs revealed a very high correlation with age and were subsequently tested for differences between German and Japanese donors aged between 10 and 65 years (N = 287 and N = 83, respectively). ANCOVA was performed by testing the Japanese samples against age- and sex-matched German subsamples (N = 83 each; extracted 500 times from the German total sample). The median p values suggest a strong evidence for significant differences (p < 0.05) at least for two CpGs (EDARADD, CpG 2, and PDE4C, CpG 2) and no differences for 11 CpGs (p > 0.3).Age prediction models based on DNAm data from all 20 CpGs from German training data did not reveal relevant differences between the Japanese test samples and German subsamples. Obviously, the high number of included "robust CpGs" prevented relevant effects of differences in DNAm at two CpGs.Nevertheless, the presented data demonstrates the need for further research regarding the impact of confounding factors on DNAm in the context of ethnicity/ancestry to ensure a high quality of age estimation. One approach may be the search for "robust" CpG markers-which requires the targeted investigation of different populations, at best by collaborative research with coordinated research strategies.
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Abudinén F, Adachi I, Adamczyk K, Aggarwal L, Ahmed H, Aihara H, Akopov N, Aloisio A, Anh Ky N, Asner DM, Atmacan H, Aushev V, Babu V, Bacher S, Bae H, Baehr S, Bahinipati S, Bambade P, Banerjee S, Bansal S, Barrett M, Baudot J, Bauer M, Baur A, Becker J, Behera PK, Bennett JV, Bernieri E, Bernlochner FU, Bertemes M, Bertholet E, Bessner M, Bettarini S, Bhardwaj V, Bianchi F, Bilka T, Bilokin S, Biswas D, Bobrov A, Bodrov D, Bolz A, Bozek A, Bračko M, Branchini P, Braun N, Briere RA, Browder TE, Budano A, Bussino S, Campajola M, Cao L, Casarosa G, Cecchi C, Červenkov D, Chang MC, Chang P, Cheaib R, Chekelian V, Chen C, Chen YT, Cheon BG, Chilikin K, Chirapatpimol K, Cho HE, Cho K, Cho SJ, Choi SK, Choudhury S, Cinabro D, Corona L, Cremaldi LM, Cunliffe S, Czank T, Dattola F, De La Cruz-Burelo E, de Marino G, De Nardo G, De Pietro G, de Sangro R, Destefanis M, Dey S, De Yta-Hernandez A, Di Canto A, Di Capua F, Dingfelder J, Doležal Z, Domínguez Jiménez I, Dong TV, Dorigo M, Dort K, Dossett D, Dubey S, Duell S, Dujany G, Ecker P, Epifanov D, Ferber T, Ferlewicz D, Finocchiaro G, Flood K, Fodor A, Forti F, Fulsom BG, Gabrielli A, Gabyshev N, Gaz A, Gellrich A, Giakoustidis G, Giordano R, Giri A, Glazov A, Gobbo B, Godang R, Goldenzweig P, Golob B, Gradl W, Graziani E, Greenwald D, Gu T, Guan Y, Gudkova K, Guilliams J, Hadjivasiliou C, Halder S, Hara K, Hara T, Hartbrich O, Hayasaka K, Hayashii H, Hazra S, Hearty C, Heredia de la Cruz I, Hernández Villanueva M, Hershenhorn A, Higuchi T, Hill EC, Hirata H, Hoek M, Hohmann M, Hsu CL, Humair T, Iijima T, Inami K, Inguglia G, Ishikawa A, Itoh R, Iwasaki M, Iwasaki Y, Jacobs WW, Jaffe DE, Jang EJ, Jia S, Jin Y, Junkerkalefeld H, Kakuno H, Kaliyar AB, Kandra J, Kang KH, Karl R, Karyan G, Kato Y, Kawasaki T, Kiesling C, Kim CH, Kim DY, Kim YK, Kim Y, Kimmel TD, Kinoshita K, Kodyš P, Koga T, Kohani S, Konno T, Korpar S, Kovalenko E, Kowalewski R, Kraetzschmar TMG, Krinner F, Križan P, Krokovny P, Kuhr T, Kumar J, Kumar M, Kumar R, Kumara K, Kurz S, Kuzmin A, Kwon YJ, Lacaprara S, Lalwani K, Lam T, Lanceri L, Lange JS, Laurenza M, Lautenbach K, Le Diberder FR, Lee SC, Leitl P, Levit D, Li C, Li LK, Libby J, Lieret K, Liptak Z, Liu QY, Liventsev D, Longo S, Lueck T, Lyu C, Manfredi R, Manoni E, Marinas C, Martini A, Matsuda T, Matsuoka K, Matvienko D, McKenna JA, Meier F, Merola M, Metzner F, Miller C, Miyabayashi K, Mizuk R, Mohanty GB, Molina-Gonzalez N, Moon H, Moser HG, Mrvar M, Murphy C, Mussa R, Nakamura I, Nakamura KR, Nakao M, Nakazawa H, Natkaniec Z, Natochii A, Nazaryan G, Niebuhr C, Niiyama M, Nisar NK, Nishida S, Nishimura K, Ogawa S, Onishchuk Y, Ono H, Onuki Y, Oskin P, Oxford ER, Ozaki H, Pakhlov P, Paladino A, Pang T, Panta A, Paoloni E, Pardi S, Park H, Park SH, Paschen B, Passeri A, Pathak A, Patra S, Paul S, Pedlar TK, Peruzzi I, Peschke R, Pestotnik R, Pham F, Piccolo M, Piilonen LE, Pinna Angioni G, Podesta-Lerma PLM, Podobnik T, Pokharel S, Polat G, Popov V, Praz C, Prell S, Prencipe E, Prim MT, Purohit MV, Purwar H, Rad N, Rados P, Raiz S, Reiter S, Remnev M, Ripp-Baudot I, Rizzo G, Rizzuto LB, Robertson SH, Roney JM, Rostomyan A, Rout N, Rozanska M, Sahoo D, Sanders DA, Sandilya S, Sangal A, Santelj L, Sato Y, Savinov V, Scavino B, Schueler J, Schwanda C, Schwartz AJ, Seino Y, Selce A, Senyo K, Serrano J, Sfienti C, Shiu JG, Shwartz B, Sibidanov A, Simon F, Sobie RJ, Soffer A, Sokolov A, Solovieva E, Spataro S, Spruck B, Starič M, Stefkova S, Stottler ZS, Stroili R, Strube J, Sumihama M, Sutcliffe W, Suzuki SY, Svidras H, Tabata M, Takizawa M, Tamponi U, Tanaka S, Tanida K, Tanigawa H, Taniguchi N, Tenchini F, Tiwary R, Tonelli D, Torassa E, Toutounji N, Trabelsi K, Tsuboyama T, Ueda I, Uehara S, Uematsu Y, Uglov T, Unger K, Unno Y, Uno K, Uno S, Urquijo P, Ushiroda Y, Usov YV, Vahsen SE, van Tonder R, Varner GS, Vinokurova A, Vitale L, Vossen A, Waheed E, Wakeling HM, Wang E, Wang MZ, Wang XL, Warburton A, Watanabe M, Welsch M, Wessel C, Wiechczynski J, Won E, Xu XP, Yabsley BD, Yamada S, Yan W, Yang SB, Ye H, Yelton J, Yin JH, Yoshihara K, Yusa Y, Zani L, Zhilich V, Zhou QD, Zhou XY, Zhukova VI, Žlebčík R. Precise Measurement of the D^{0} and D^{+} Lifetimes at Belle II. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:211801. [PMID: 34860075 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.211801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We report a measurement of the D^{0} and D^{+} lifetimes using D^{0}→K^{-}π^{+} and D^{+}→K^{-}π^{+}π^{+} decays reconstructed in e^{+}e^{-}→cc[over ¯] data recorded by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. The data, collected at center-of-mass energies at or near the ϒ(4S) resonance, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 72 fb^{-1}. The results, τ(D^{0})=410.5±1.1(stat)±0.8(syst) fs and τ(D^{+})=1030.4±4.7(stat)±3.1(syst) fs, are the most precise to date and are consistent with previous determinations.
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Jury A, Syring C, Becker J, Locher I, Strauss G, Ruiters M, Steiner A. [Prevalence of claw disorders in swiss cattle farms]. SCHWEIZ ARCH TIERH 2021; 164:779-790. [PMID: 34758953 DOI: 10.17236/sat00327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The project «Healthy claws - the foundation for the future» aims to establish a Swiss national claw health monitoring based on digital recordings by claw trimmers during claw trimming. To assess claw health on the participating farms, between-herd prevalence, within-herd prevalence and cow prevalence of all claw disorders based on the «ICAR Claw Health Atlas» were calculated during this study. Claw trimmers underwent an intensive training and examination in order to ensure data quality. To guarantee the representativity of the prevalences, only farm claw trimmings were considered, where ≥ 80 % of the cows in a herd were trimmed. The calculations were based on 7108 cows and 403 heifers from 238 farms, during the period from February 2020 to February 2021. At least one claw disorder was present in 99,2 % of the farms, with 49,6 % of the heifers and 77,7 % of the cows having at least one claw disorder. The high prevalence is seen as a result of all ICAR claw disorders being considered, whereas not all of them are painful and consequently not all of them cause lameness. The absence of lameness assessment limits the evaluation of existing herd problems. High between-herd and cow prevalences were observed for the following claw disorders: heel horn erosion (92,9 %/64,7 %), digital dermatitis (55,9 %/20,7 %), white line disease (81,5 %/17,7 %) and sole hemorrhage (66,4 %/11,6 %). Asymmetric claws, corkscrew claws, scissor claws, horn fissure, interdigital phlegmon, swelling of the coronet and/or bulb and toe necrosis had low prevalences. The proportion of cows treated with a hoof block (0,5 %) was comparatively small in regard of the cows suffering from ulcers (5,6 %) and white line abscesses (2,5 %). The median within-herd prevalence of digital dermatitis was 5,6 %, with a maximal within-herd prevalence of 87,5 %. Despite the contagious nature of digital dermatitis, no increase of between-herd and cow prevalence has been observed in the past ten years throughout Switzerland. Based on this data, the Swiss claw health situation can be monitored, compared over time and improved in the future.
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Chen P, Finklea D, Cohen L, Jain R, Lowe K, Ratti G, Becker J, Reisch J. 276: Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on adult cystic fibrosis patients’ mental health. J Cyst Fibros 2021. [PMCID: PMC8518475 DOI: 10.1016/s1569-1993(21)01701-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Borrero‐de Acuña JM, Gutierrez‐Urrutia I, Hidalgo‐Dumont C, Aravena‐Carrasco C, Orellana‐Saez M, Palominos‐Gonzalez N, van Duuren JBJH, Wagner V, Gläser L, Becker J, Kohlstedt M, Zacconi FC, Wittmann C, Poblete‐Castro I. Channelling carbon flux through the meta-cleavage route for improved poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) production from benzoate and lignin-based aromatics in Pseudomonas putida H. Microb Biotechnol 2021; 14:2385-2402. [PMID: 33171015 PMCID: PMC8601166 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Lignin-based aromatics are attractive raw materials to derive medium-chain length poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) (mcl-PHAs), biodegradable polymers of commercial value. So far, this conversion has exclusively used the ortho-cleavage route of Pseudomonas putida KT2440, which results in the secretion of toxic intermediates and limited performance. Pseudomonas putida H exhibits the ortho- and the meta-cleavage pathways where the latter appears promising because it stoichiometrically yields higher levels of acetyl-CoA. Here, we created a double-mutant H-ΔcatAΔA2 that utilizes the meta route exclusively and synthesized 30% more PHA on benzoate than the parental strain but suffered from catechol accumulation. The single deletion of the catA2 gene in the H strain provoked a slight attenuation on the enzymatic capacity of the ortho route (25%) and activation of the meta route by nearly 8-fold, producing twice as much mcl-PHAs compared to the wild type. Inline, the mutant H-ΔcatA2 showed a 2-fold increase in the intracellular malonyl-CoA abundance - the main precursor for mcl-PHAs synthesis. As inferred from flux simulation and enzyme activity assays, the superior performance of H-ΔcatA2 benefited from reduced flux through the TCA cycle and malic enzyme and diminished by-product formation. In a benzoate-based fed-batch, P. putida H-ΔcatA2 achieved a PHA titre of 6.1 g l-1 and a volumetric productivity of 1.8 g l-1 day-1 . Using Kraft lignin hydrolysate as feedstock, the engineered strain formed 1.4 g l- 1 PHA. The balancing of carbon flux between the parallel catechol-degrading routes emerges as an important strategy to prevent intermediate accumulation and elevate mcl-PHA production in P. putida H and, as shown here, sets the next level to derive this sustainable biopolymer from lignin hydrolysates and aromatics.
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Abudinén F, Adachi I, Adamczyk K, Ahlburg P, Aihara H, Akopov N, Aloisio A, Anh Ky N, Asner DM, Atmacan H, Aushev T, Aushev V, Baur A, Babu V, Baehr S, Bambade P, Banerjee S, Bansal S, Baudot J, Becker J, Behera PK, Bennett JV, Bernieri E, Bernlochner FU, Bertemes M, Bertholet E, Bessner M, Bettarini S, Bianchi F, Bilka T, Biswas D, Bozek A, Bračko M, Branchini P, Braun N, Browder TE, Budano A, Bussino S, Campajola M, Cao L, Casarosa G, Cecchi C, Červenkov D, Chang P, Cheaib R, Chekelian V, Chen C, Chen YT, Cheon BG, Chilikin K, Chirapatpimol K, Cho K, Cho SJ, Choudhury S, Cinabro D, Corona L, Cremaldi LM, Cunliffe S, Czank T, Dattola F, De La Cruz-Burelo E, de Marino G, De Nardo G, De Nuccio M, De Pietro G, de Sangro R, Destefanis M, Dey S, De Yta-Hernandez A, Di Canto A, Di Capua F, Dingfelder J, Doležal Z, Domínguez Jiménez I, Dong TV, Dort K, Dubey S, Duell S, Dujany G, Eidelman S, Eliachevitch M, Epifanov D, Ferber T, Ferlewicz D, Fillinger T, Finocchiaro G, Fiore S, Fodor A, Forti F, Frey A, Fulsom BG, Gabyshev N, Ganiev E, Garcia-Hernandez M, Garmash A, Gaur V, Gaz A, Gellrich A, Giordano R, Giri A, Glazov A, Gobbo B, Godang R, Goldenzweig P, Golob B, Grace P, Gradl W, Graziani E, Greenwald D, Guan Y, Gudkova K, Hadjivasiliou C, Halder S, Hara K, Hartbrich O, Hayasaka K, Hayashii H, Hazra S, Hearty C, Heredia de la Cruz I, Hernández Villanueva M, Hershenhorn A, Higuchi T, Hill EC, Hirata H, Hoek M, Hohmann M, Hsu CL, Humair T, Iijima T, Inami K, Inguglia G, Irakkathil Jabbar J, Ishikawa A, Itoh R, Iwasaki M, Iwasaki Y, Jackson P, Jacobs WW, Jaffe DE, Jin Y, Joo C, Junkerkalefeld H, Kaliyar AB, Kandra J, Kang KH, Karl R, Karyan G, Kawasaki T, Ketter C, Kichimi H, Kiesling C, Kim CH, Kim DY, Kim YK, Kimmel TD, Kodyš P, Koga T, Kohani S, Konno T, Korobov A, Korpar S, Kovalenko E, Kraetzschmar TMG, Krinner F, Križan P, Krokovny P, Kuhr T, Kumar J, Kumar M, Kumar R, Kumara K, Kunigo T, Kurz S, Kuzmin A, Kwon YJ, Lacaprara S, Lai YT, La Licata C, Lanceri L, Lange JS, Laurenza M, Lautenbach K, Le Diberder FR, Lee SC, Leitl P, Levit D, Lewis PM, Li C, Li LK, Li SX, Li YB, Libby J, Lieret K, Liptak Z, Liu QY, Liventsev D, Longo S, Lozar A, Lueck T, Lyu C, Maggiora M, Maity S, Manfredi R, Manoni E, Marcello S, Marinas C, Martini A, Masuda M, Matsuda T, Matsuoka K, Matvienko D, Meier F, Merola M, Metzner F, Milesi M, Miller C, Miyabayashi K, Miyake H, Mizuk R, Mohanty GB, Moser HG, Mrvar M, Müller FJ, Murphy C, Mussa R, Nakamura KR, Nakao M, Natkaniec Z, Natochii A, Nayak M, Nazaryan G, Niebuhr C, Nisar NK, Nishida S, Nishimura K, Ogawa S, Onishchuk Y, Ono H, Onuki Y, Oskin P, Ozaki H, Pakhlov P, Pakhlova G, Paladino A, Pang T, Panta A, Paoloni E, Pardi S, Park H, Park SH, Paschen B, Passeri A, Pathak A, Patra S, Paul S, Pedlar TK, Peruzzi I, Pestotnik R, Piccolo M, Piilonen LE, Podesta-Lerma PLM, Podobnik T, Pokharel S, Polat G, Popov V, Praz C, Prell S, Prencipe E, Prim MT, Rad N, Rados P, Raiz S, Remnev M, Ripp-Baudot I, Ritter M, Rizzo G, Rizzuto LB, Robertson SH, Rodríguez Pérez D, Roney JM, Rostomyan A, Rout N, Russo G, Sahoo D, Sanders DA, Sandilya S, Sangal A, Santelj L, Sato Y, Savinov V, Scavino B, Schueler J, Schwanda C, Schwartz AJ, Seddon RM, Seino Y, Selce A, Senyo K, Serrano J, Sevior ME, Sfienti C, Shiu JG, Shwartz B, Sibidanov A, Simon F, Sobie RJ, Soffer A, Sokolov A, Solovieva E, Spataro S, Spruck B, Starič M, Stefkova S, Stottler ZS, Stroili R, Sumihama M, Sumisawa K, Summers DJ, Sutcliffe W, Suzuki SY, Svidras H, Tabata M, Takahashi M, Takizawa M, Tamponi U, Tanaka S, Tanida K, Tanigawa H, Taniguchi N, Taras P, Tenchini F, Tonelli D, Torassa E, Toutounji N, Trabelsi K, Uchida M, Unno Y, Uno K, Uno S, Urquijo P, Ushiroda Y, Usov YV, Vahsen SE, van Tonder R, Varner GS, Varvell KE, Vinokurova A, Vitale L, Wach B, Waheed E, Wakeling HM, Wan Abdullah W, Wang MZ, Wang XL, Warburton A, Watanuki S, Webb J, Welsch M, Wessel C, Wiechczynski J, Windel H, Xu XP, Yabsley BD, Yamada S, Yan W, Yang SB, Ye H, Yelton J, Yin JH, Yook YM, Yoshihara K, Yuan CZ, Yusa Y, Zani L, Zhilich V, Zhou QD, Zhou XY, Zhukova VI. Search for B^{+}→K^{+}νν[over ¯] Decays Using an Inclusive Tagging Method at Belle II. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:181802. [PMID: 34767404 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.181802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A search for the flavor-changing neutral-current decay B^{+}→K^{+}νν[over ¯] is performed at the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB asymmetric energy electron-positron collider. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 63 fb^{-1} collected at the ϒ(4S) resonance and a sample of 9 fb^{-1} collected at an energy 60 MeV below the resonance. Because the measurable decay signature involves only a single charged kaon, a novel measurement approach is used that exploits not only the properties of the B^{+}→K^{+}νν[over ¯] decay, but also the inclusive properties of the other B meson in the ϒ(4S)→BB[over ¯] event, to suppress the background from other B meson decays and light-quark pair production. This inclusive tagging approach offers a higher signal efficiency compared to previous searches. No significant signal is observed. An upper limit on the branching fraction of B^{+}→K^{+}νν[over ¯] of 4.1×10^{-5} is set at the 90% confidence level.
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Becker J, van Aken A. [Evaluation of voluntary incentive--based animal welfare programs to decrease antimicrobial use on source dairies and veal calf fattening operations]. SCHWEIZ ARCH TIERH 2021; 163:577-594. [PMID: 34465561 DOI: 10.17236/sat00315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Increased antimicrobial use (AMU) and poor animal health are common problems on Swiss veal farms. The creation of incentive systems could contribute to reduce AMU and to implement supportive management measures. Voluntary government-funded programs could be an option. Therefore, the present study developed four hypothetical programs, which differed in their approach and funded measures. Depending on the program, the objective of reducing AMU should be achieved either by promotion of farm specific advice from the Swiss calf health service, benchmarking the antibiotic use, promotion of health measures on the source dairy (farm of birth) or by promoting veal calf fattening on the source dairy instead of selling calf to fattening operations. A survey using the contingent evaluation method evaluated the willingness of farm manager to participate in these programs. A total of 135 veal farm managers filled in the questionnaire, of which 131 were managers of family-run small scale veal fattening farms. In addition, 309 managers of dairy farms where no veal was produced participated in the study. These farms served as source dairies and sold excess calves for subsequent fattening mostly at the age of three to five weeks. Participation was moderate to good depending on the program. Approximately 30% of farm managers would participate in the program with farm specific advice from the Swiss calf health service and with benchmarking of AMU, 35% in the promotion of veal calf fattening on the source dairy, and 60% in health measures on the source dairy. Probability of participation in the program with farm specific advice and in health measures on source dairies can be influenced by the amount of the extra pay. The main reasons for which managers would not want to participate were having reservations about the need to improve animal health on the own farm, a lack of space and time, as well as concerns about increased administrative work. The study can be a starting point for the development of voluntary programs to reduce AMU on farms, in particular on source dairies and veal calf fattening farms. The results of this study may allow of estimation of the percentage of farm managers to participate in voluntary programs, thus addressing an optimal number of farms.
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