An innovative solid liquid extraction technology: use of the naviglio extractor for the production of lemon liquor.

This document is a review on solid-liquid extractive techniques and describes an innovative solid-liquid extraction technology using the Naviglio Extractor®. Also explained is an application for the production of alcoholic extract from lemon peel. The alcoholic extract, mixed with a sugar and water solution in the right proportions is used to make a well known Italian lemon liquor commonly named "limoncello". Lemon liquor is obtained utilizing the Naviglio Extractor®; the procedure used is fast and efficient and uses about half the weight of lemon peel per volume of ethyl alcohol used for the extraction of the odorous and taste responsible compounds, compared to the commonly used extraction procedures. To test the consumer’s preference and compare the taste of the liquor obtained with that obtained by peel maceration from the same lot of lemons and obtained using the traditional recipe, a consumer test has been carried out. One hundred people, chosen from among frequent consumers of limoncello, tasted the two lemon liquors, and evaluated intensity of aroma, colour, alcohol taste and sweetness. In about 81% of the preferences, the liquor obtained using the Naviglio Extractor® was preferred. The extraction process used allows the ethanol from used up lemon peel to be totally recovered so that these can be disposed of as non toxic waste or used in agriculture or as cattle feed

Different serological cross-reactivity of Trypanosoma rangeli forms in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected patients sera

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>American Trypanosomiasis or Chagas disease is caused by <it>Trypanosoma cruzi </it>which currently infects approximately 16 million people in the Americas causing high morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis of American trypanosomiasis relies on serology, primarily using indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) with <it>T. cruzi </it>epimastigote forms. The closely related but nonpathogenic <it>Trypanosoma rangeli </it>has a sympatric distribution with <it>T. cruzi </it>and is carried by the same vectors. As a result false positives are frequently generated. This confounding factor leads to increased diagnostic test costs and where false positives are not caught, endangers human health due to the toxicity of the drugs used to treat Chagas disease.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the present study, serologic cross-reactivity between the two species was compared for the currently used epimastigote form and the more pathologically relevant trypomastigote form, using IFA and immunoblotting (IB) assays. Our results reveal an important decrease in cross reactivity when <it>T. rangeli </it>culture-derived trypomastigotes are used in IFA based diagnosis of Chagas disease. Western blot results using sera from both acute and chronic chagasic patients presenting with cardiac, indeterminate or digestive disease revealed similar, but not identical, antigenic profiles.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first study addressing the serological cross-reactivity between distinct forms and strains of <it>T. rangeli </it>and <it>T. cruzi </it>using sera from distinct phases of the Chagasic infection. Several <it>T. rangeli</it>-specific proteins were detected, which may have potential as diagnostic tools.</p

Isolation of bacteria with biochemical characteristics of <i>Arcobacter cryaerophilus</i> in water of La Plata River, Argentina

Se investigó la presencia de la Familia Campylobacternceae en aguas del Río de la Plata en dos estaciones de muestreo (desembocadura de caño cloacal y río adentro) durante los meses estivales de diciembre/ febrero/marzo. De todas la muestras (12 en total) pudieron aislarse bacterias de la Familia Campylobacternceae. El genero y la especie identificada usando reacciones bioquímicas fue A. criaerophylus. A esta especie se la ha asociado con abortos bovinos y porcinos y con diarreas intermitentes en pacientes humanos homosexuales Creemos que es el primer aislamiento de esta especie de Arcobacter el país y que su hallazgo en aguas de río cobra importancia como potencial patógeno del hombre y de los animales justificando futuros estudios epidemiológicos y bacteriológicos de la misma.The presence of Family Campylobacteriacea was investigated in water of La Plata River Samples were taken from the waste discharge pipe and far away from the coast summer season (December/February/March) Bacteria of the Family Carnpylobacieraceae are isolated from all samples (n 19) isolate was identified as Arcobacter cryaerophilus by means of biochemical reactions. A cryaeropbilus was previously reponed to be associated with bovine and porcine abortions It was also recovered from the stools of homosexual human patients with intermittent diarrhoea. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of recovery of A cryaerophifiis in our country Further studies emphasizing the microbiology and epidemiology are required to establish the role of this species of Arcobacter in animal and human health.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Enhancing the cognitive interview with an alternative procedure to witness-compatible questioning: category clustering recall

The Cognitive Interview (CI) is one of the most widely studied and used methods to interview witnesses. However, new component techniques for further increasing correct recall are still crucial. We focused on how a new and simpler interview strategy, Category Clustering Recall (CCR), could increase recall in comparison with witness-compatible questioning and tested if a Revised Cognitive Interview (RCI) with CCR instead of witness-compatible questioning and without the change order and change perspective mnemonics would be effective for this purpose. Participants watched a mock robbery video and were interviewed 48 hours later with either the CI or the RCI. Recalled information was classified as either correct, incorrect or confabulation. Although exclusion of the change order and change perspective mnemonics in the RCI group might have caused a slight decrease in recall during the last interview phases, the RCI group generally produced more correct information than the CI group, with a lower number of confabulations. Further analyses revealed CCR was largely responsible for this increase in correct recall. CCR is a very promising interview technique which allowed the interviewer to obtain more detailed information without additional questions and may have, in certain situations, several practical advantages over a questioning phase.N/

Differential Attraction Of Drosophilids To Banana Baits Inoculated With Saccharomyces Cerevisiae And Hanseniaspora Uvarum Within A Neotropical Forest Remnant

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Yeasts are a necessary requisite in the diet of most Drosophila species that, in turn, may vector their dispersal in natural environments. Differential attractiveness experiments and the isolation of yeasts consumed by Drosophila may be informative for characterizing this association. Hanseniaspora uvarum is among the most common yeast species isolated from Drosophila crops, with high attractiveness to drosophilids. Saccharorrtyces cerevisiae has been widely used to collect flies, and it allows broad sampling of almost. all local Drosophila species. Pronounced differences in the field concerning Drosophila attractivity to baits seeded with these yeast species have been previously reported. However, few explicit generalizations have. been. set. Since late fifties, no field experiments of. Drosophila attractivity were carried out. in.the Neotropical region, which is facing shifts in abiotic and biotic factors.. Our objective is to characterize preference behavior that mediates the interaction in the wild among Neotropical Drosophila species and yeasts associated with them. We want to set a broad generalization about drosophilids attracted to the se yeasts. Here we present the results of a differential attractiveness experiment we carried out in a natural Atlantic Rainforest fragment to assess the preferences of Drosophila species groups to baits inoculated with H. uvarum and S. cerevisiae. Methods. Both yeast species were cultured in GYMP broth and separately poured in autoclaved mashed banana that was left fermenting. In the field, we collected drosophilids over five arrays of three different baits: non-inoculated autoclaved banana and banana inoculated with each yeast. In the laboratory the drosophilids were sorted to five sets according to their external morphology and/or genitalia: tripunctata; guarani; exotic; and the remaining flies pooled in others. Results and Conclusions. Uninoculated banana baits attracted virtually no flies. We found significant departures from random distribution over the other two baits (1:1 proportion) for all sets, except the pooled others. Flies of the sets willistoni and exotic preferred H. uvarum over S. cerevisiae, while the remaining sets were more attracted to S. cerevisiae. Previously various authors reported similar patterns in attraction experiments with S. cerevisiae and H. uvarum. It is also noteworthy that both yeast species have been isolated from natural substrates and crops of Drosophila species. Taken together, these results suggest that the preferences among Drosophila species groups may be reflecting deep and stable relations with yeast species in natural environments. They can be summarized as: forest dwelling species from subgenus Drosophila (such as tripunctata and guarani groups) are attracted to banana baits seeded with S. cerevisiae; while exotic (as D. melanogaster) and subgenus Sophophora species are preferentially attracted to baits seeded with H. uvarum.5Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal do Ensino Superior (CAPES) [PRODOC 2709/2010]Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico [308285/2014-0, 457499/2014-1, 312066/2014-7]Fundo de Apoio ao Ensino, a Pesquisa e Extensao da Unicamp (FAEPEX-PEC2012) [1578/12]Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) [2012/03144-0, 2014/03791-1]Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) [APQ-01525-14]Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Cassava intake and vitamin A status among women and preschool children in Akwa-Ibom, Nigeria

Background As part of the HarvestPlus provitamin A-biofortified cassava program in Nigeria we con- ducted a survey to determine the cassava intake and prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among children 6-59 months and women of childbearing age in the state of Akwa Ibom. Methods A cluster-randomized cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2011 in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria. The usual food and nutrient intakes were estimated using a multi-pass 24-hour recall with repeated recall on a subsample. Blood samples of children and women were collected to analyze for serum retinol, serum ferritin, and acute phase proteins as indicators of infection. Vitamin A deficiency was defined as serum retinol < 0.70 ? mol/L adjusted for infection. Results A total of 587 households of a mother-child dyad participated in the dietary intake assess- ment. Cassava was very widely consumed in Akwa Ibom, mainly as gari or foofoo . Daily cassava consumption frequency was 92% and 95% among children and women, respec- tively. Mean ( ± SD) cassava intake (expressed as raw fresh weight) was 348 ± 317 grams/ day among children and 940 ± 777 grams/day among women. Intakes of most micronutri- ents appeared to be adequate with the exception of calcium. Median vitamin A intake was very high both for children (1038 ? g RAE/day) and women (2441 ? g RAE/day). Red palm oil and dark green leafy vegetables were the main sources of vitamin A in the diet, with red palm oil alone contributing almost 60% of vitamin A intake in women and children. Preva- lence of vitamin A deficiency ranged from moderate (16.9 %) among children to virtually non-existent (3.4 %) among womenConclusion Consumption of cassava and vitamin A intake was high among women and children in Akwa Ibom with a prevalence of vitamin A deficiency ranging from moderate in children to non-existent among women. The provitamin A biofortified cassava and other vitamin A inter- ventions should focus dissemination in states where red palm oil is not widely consumed.Background As part of the HarvestPlus provitamin A-biofortified cassava program in Nigeria we con- ducted a survey to determine the cassava intake and prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among children 6-59 months and women of childbearing age in the state of Akwa Ibom. Methods A cluster-randomized cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2011 in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria. The usual food and nutrient intakes were estimated using a multi-pass 24-hour recall with repeated recall on a subsample. Blood samples of children and women were collected to analyze for serum retinol, serum ferritin, and acute phase proteins as indicators of infection. Vitamin A deficiency was defined as serum retinol < 0.70 ? mol/L adjusted for infection. Results A total of 587 households of a mother-child dyad participated in the dietary intake assess- ment. Cassava was very widely consumed in Akwa Ibom, mainly as gari or foofoo . Daily cassava consumption frequency was 92% and 95% among children and women, respec- tively. Mean ( ± SD) cassava intake (expressed as raw fresh weight) was 348 ± 317 grams/ day among children and 940 ± 777 grams/day among women. Intakes of most micronutri- ents appeared to be adequate with the exception of calcium. Median vitamin A intake was very high both for children (1038 ? g RAE/day) and women (2441 ? g RAE/day). Red palm oil and dark green leafy vegetables were the main sources of vitamin A in the diet, with red palm oil alone contributing almost 60% of vitamin A intake in women and children. Preva- lence of vitamin A deficiency ranged from moderate (16.9 %) among children to virtually non-existent (3.4 %) among womenConclusion Consumption of cassava and vitamin A intake was high among women and children in Akwa Ibom with a prevalence of vitamin A deficiency ranging from moderate in children to non-existent among women. The provitamin A biofortified cassava and other vitamin A inter- ventions should focus dissemination in states where red palm oil is not widely consumed

A Utilização do Lúdico no Ensino de Química Orgânica: Uma Prática Envolvendo Jogos

Anais do 3° Encontro Nacional de Jogos e Atividades Lúdicas no Ensino de Química, Física e Biologia (Jalequim - Level III) - Núcleo de Desenvolvimento de Pesquisas em Ensino de Química/Ciências da UNILA (NuDDEQ)Um dos desafios dos professores de Química do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio está em tornar o estudo das funções orgânicas mais atrativo e interessante aos alunos. Uma das dificuldades encontradas é a de quebrar o caráter repetitivo que a abordagem desse conteúdo pode conter. Dentro desse contexto, a utilização de atividades lúdicas pode contribuir para o processo de aprendizagem dos alunos e melhorar a participação dos estudantes em sala de aula. Nesse panorama, utilizou-se o aplicativo Quizlet, disponível para celulares e computadores, que se baseia na utilização de flashcards e jogos. Através do aplicativo, buscou-se trabalhar com os alunos a diferenciação de funções e grupos funcionais

Las Especies sudamericanas del género "Neralsia" Cameron, 1883 (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Figitidae: Figitinae): estudio del material tipo

Les espècies sud-americanes del gènere Neralsia Cameron, 1883 (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Figitidae: Figitinae): estudi del material tipus Neralsia Cameron, 1883, és un gènere de distribució americana present tant a la regió neàrtica com neotropical. Aquest treball és la primera contribució taxonòmica que fem del gènere. Fa referència a l'estudi de les 12 espècies descrites de Neralsia a Sud-amèrica. Neralsia fiebrigi Hedicke, 1914, N. ciliatinervis (Kieffer, 1910) i N. acuminata (Dettmer, 1932) han de ser considerades com incertae sedis. S'estableix la sinonímia entre N. splendens (Borgmeier, 1935) i N. fossulata (Kieffer, 1909). Es transfereix Xyalophora albipennis Kieffer, 1909, al gènere Neralsia, N. albipennis (Kieffer, 1909) n. comb. Per tot això, es consideren vàlides vuit espècies: N. albipennis (Kieffer, 1909), N. bogotensis (Kieffer, 1909), N. claripennis (Dettmer, 1932), N. fossulata (Kieffer, 1909), N. flavidipennis (Kieffer, 1909), N. pilosa (Borgmeier, 1935), N. striaticeps (Kieffer, 1909) i N. suffecta (Dettmer, 1932). Es redescriuen aquestes espècies ja que les descripcions dels autors anteriors presenten, en general, deficiències diagnòstiques.Neralsia Cameron, 1883, es un género de distribución americana presente tanto en la región neártica como neotropical. Este trabajo es la primera contribución taxonómica que realizamos del género. Se refiere al estudio de las 12 especies descritas de Neralsia en Sudamérica. Neralsia fiebrigi Hedicke, 1914, N. ciliatinervis (Kieffer, 1910) y N. acuminata (Dettmer, 1932) han de ser consideradas como incertae sedis. Se establece la sinonimia entre N. splendens (Borgmeier, 1935) y N. fossulata (Kieffer, 1909). Se transfiere Xyalophora albipennis Kieffer, 1909, al género Neralsia, N. albipennis (Kieffer, 1909) n. comb. Por todo ello, se consideran válidas ocho especies: N. albipennis (Kieffer, 1909), N. bogotensis (Kieffer, 1909), N. claripennis (Dettmer, 1932), N. fossulata (Kieffer, 1909), N. flavidipennis (Kieffer, 1909), N. pilosa (Borgmeier, 1935), N. striaticeps (Kieffer, 1909) y N. suffecta (Dettmer, 1932). Se redescriben dichas especies puesto que las descripciones de los autores anteriores presentan, por lo general, deficiencias diagnósticas.The South American species of the genus Neralsia Cameron, 1883 (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Figitidae: Figitinae): a study of the type material The genus Neralsia Cameron, 1883, has an American distribution and it is present in both Neotropical and Nearctic regions. The present work is our first contribution to the taxonomy of this genus and deals with the 12 species of Neralsia described from South America. Of these, Neralsia fiebrigi Hedicke, 1914, Neralsia ciliatinervis (Kieffer, 1910) and Neralsia acuminata (Dettmer, 1932) have to be considered «incertae sedis». The synonymy of Neralsia splendens (Borgmeier, 1935) and N. fossulata (Kieffer, 1909) is established. The species Xyalophora albipennis Kieffer, 1909, is transferred to Neralsia as N. albipennis (Kieffer, 1909) n. comb. In conclusion, 8 of the 12 previously known species are considered valid: N. albipennis (Kieffer, 1909), N. bogotensis (Kieffer, 1909), N. claripennis (Dettmer, 1932), N. fossulata (Kieffer, 1909), N. flavidipennis (Kieffer, 1909), N. pilosa (Borgmeier, 1935), N. striaticeps (Kieffer, 1909) and N. suffecta (Dettmer, 1932). These species are redescribed here because the original descriptions generally have diagnostic deficiencies

Macroclumping as solution of the discrepancy between Hα and P v mass loss diagnostics for O-type stars

Context. Recent studies of O-type stars have demonstrated that discrepant mass-loss rates are obtained when different diagnostic methods are employed. Fitting the unsaturated UV resonance lines (e.g., P v) gives drastically lower values than obtained from the Hα emission. Wind inhomogeneity (so-called "clumping") may be the main cause of this discrepancy. Aims. In a previous paper, we presented 3D Monte-Carlo calculations for the formation of scattering lines in a clumped stellar wind. In the present paper we select five O-type supergiants (from O4 to O7) and test whether the reported discrepancies can be resolved this way. Methods. In the first step, the analyses started with simulating the observed spectra with Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) non-LTE model atmospheres. The mass-loss rates are adjusted to fit to the observed Hα emission lines best. For the unsaturated UV resonance lines (i.e., P v) we then applied our 3D Monte-Carlo code, which can account for wind clumps of any optical depths ("macroclumping"), a non-void interclump medium, and a velocity dispersion inside the clumps. The ionization stratifications and underlying photospheric spectra were adopted from the PoWR models. The properties of the wind clumps were constrained by fitting the observed resonance line profiles. Results. Our results show that with the mass-loss rates that fit Hα (and other Balmer and He ii lines), the UV resonance lines (especially the unsaturated doublet of P v) can also be reproduced with no problem when macroclumping is taken into account. There is no need to artificially reduce the mass-loss rates or to assume a subsolar phosphorus abundance or an extremely high clumping factor, unlike what was claimed by other authors. These consistent mass-loss rates are lower by a factor of 1.3 to 2.6, compared to the mass-loss rate recipe from Vink et al. Conclusions. Macroclumping resolves the previously reported discrepancy between Hα and P v mass-loss diagnostics.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y GeofísicasInstituto de Astrofísica de La Plat

Macroclumping as solution of the discrepancy between Hα and P v mass loss diagnostics for O-type stars

Context. Recent studies of O-type stars have demonstrated that discrepant mass-loss rates are obtained when different diagnostic methods are employed. Fitting the unsaturated UV resonance lines (e.g., P v) gives drastically lower values than obtained from the Hα emission. Wind inhomogeneity (so-called "clumping") may be the main cause of this discrepancy. Aims. In a previous paper, we presented 3D Monte-Carlo calculations for the formation of scattering lines in a clumped stellar wind. In the present paper we select five O-type supergiants (from O4 to O7) and test whether the reported discrepancies can be resolved this way. Methods. In the first step, the analyses started with simulating the observed spectra with Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) non-LTE model atmospheres. The mass-loss rates are adjusted to fit to the observed Hα emission lines best. For the unsaturated UV resonance lines (i.e., P v) we then applied our 3D Monte-Carlo code, which can account for wind clumps of any optical depths ("macroclumping"), a non-void interclump medium, and a velocity dispersion inside the clumps. The ionization stratifications and underlying photospheric spectra were adopted from the PoWR models. The properties of the wind clumps were constrained by fitting the observed resonance line profiles. Results. Our results show that with the mass-loss rates that fit Hα (and other Balmer and He ii lines), the UV resonance lines (especially the unsaturated doublet of P v) can also be reproduced with no problem when macroclumping is taken into account. There is no need to artificially reduce the mass-loss rates or to assume a subsolar phosphorus abundance or an extremely high clumping factor, unlike what was claimed by other authors. These consistent mass-loss rates are lower by a factor of 1.3 to 2.6, compared to the mass-loss rate recipe from Vink et al. Conclusions. Macroclumping resolves the previously reported discrepancy between Hα and P v mass-loss diagnostics.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y GeofísicasInstituto de Astrofísica de La Plat