Valorization of Tomato Processing by-Products: Fatty Acid Extraction and Production of Bio-Based Materials

A method consisting of the alkaline hydrolysis of tomato pomace by-products has been optimized to obtain a mixture of unsaturated and polyhydroxylated fatty acids as well as a non-hydrolysable secondary residue. Reaction rates and the activation energy of the hydrolysis were calculated to reduce costs associated with chemicals and energy consumption. Lipid and non-hydrolysable fractions were chemically (infrared (IR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS)) and thermally (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)) characterized. In addition, the fatty acid mixture was used to produce cutin-based polyesters. Freestanding films were prepared by non-catalyzed melt-polycondensation and characterized by Attenuated Total Reflected-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), DSC, TGA, Water Contact Angles (WCA), and tensile tests. These bio-based polymers were hydrophobic, insoluble, infusible, and thermally stable, their physical properties being tunable by controlling the presence of unsaturated fatty acids and oxygen in the reaction. The participation of an oxidative crosslinking side reaction is proposed to be responsible for such modifications.Andalusian Regional Government P11-TEP-7418Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad AGL2015-65246-R and AGL2017-83036-RFondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) AGL2015-65246-R and AGL2017-83036-

Genetic characterization of Callosciurus (Rodentia: Sciuridae) Asiatic squirrels introduced in Argentina

Squirrels have been traded in the pet market for several decades, and numerous species have established in the wild. The Asiatic species Callosciurus erythraeus and Callosciurus finlaysonii have been introduced into other parts of Asia, in Europe and South America. In this study, (1) we conducted a genetic characterization of C. erythraeus introduced into Argentina and compared them with native and introduced populations in Asia, and (2) we analyzed genetic variation among the four invasion foci in Argentina in order to corroborate that the pathway of invasion was a single introduction event in the country and subsequent translocations. We analyzed mitochondrial (cytochrome b, Cyt b; cytochrome oxidase c subunit I, COI and D-loop) and nuclear (recombination activating gene I, RAGI) DNA markers using the classical method (DNA barcoding gap analysis) and also the Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery method (ABGD). The markers D-loop, COI, and RAG1 indicated that the introduced squirrels from the different invasion foci formed a monophyletic group that, together with only one haplotype for the D-loop and COI markers, supported the hypothesis of one introduction event into Argentina followed by subsequent translocations. Unexpectedly, sequences from squirrels captured in Argentina were more related to C. finlaysonii than to C. erythraeus for D-loop and Cyt b markers. However, intraspecific variation among sequences of C. erythraeus belonging to different subspecies or collected in different regions was large and comparable with the distance to the sequences from Argentina. The ABGD method also indicated large genetic variability within C. erythraeus and close proximity between squirrels from Argentina and C. finlaysonii. The complex taxonomy of Callosciurus, as occurs with the sister species C. erythraeus and C. finlaysonii, requires a thorough systematic revision. A simultaneous analysis of diagnostic morphological characters and genetic markers is needed and will provide new insight regarding the worldwide invasion of Asiatic squirrels.Centro Regional de Estudios Genómico

An expert consensus report on the clinical use of the Vycross® hyaluronic acid VYC-25 L filler.

Background: The portfolio of hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers and the techniques of administration have evolved in recent years. The latest innovation in the Vycross® range was the introduction of VYC-25L (Juvéderm Volux®; Allergan plc), a first-in- class filler effective for chin and facial lower third remodeling. The aim here was to provide clinicians who are starting to use VYC-25L with key advice, and to standardize procedures so that optimal and predictable outcomes can be obtained. Methods: A multidisciplinary group of experts in esthetic medicine from Spain and Portugal reviewed the properties, treatment paradigms, administration techniques, and potential complications of VYC-25L, on the basis of which they drafted consensus recommendations for its clinical use. Results: The consensus panel provided specific recommendations focusing on the patient profile, dose, administration techniques, and the complications of VYC-25L and their management. The panel identified five different profiles of patients who may benefit from VYC-25L, and they drafted recommendations aimed to facilitate the treatment of these patients, namely, microgenia (women/men), masculinization (men), rejuvenation (women/men), facial laxity (women/men), and submental convexity (women/men). In terms of their safety, no specific recommendations were made beyond those established for other HA fillers. Conclusions: The evolution of esthetic medicine makes it necessary to update the clinical recommendations that guide patient assessment and treatment with the new HA fillers developed. The current consensus document addresses relevant issues related to the use of VYC-25L on different types of patient, in an attempt to standardize procedures and help specialists obtain predictable results.post-print806 K

Genetic characterization of Callosciurus (Rodentia: Sciuridae) Asiatic squirrels introduced in Argentina

Squirrels have been traded in the pet market for several decades, and numerous species have established in the wild. The Asiatic species Callosciurus erythraeus and Callosciurus finlaysonii have been introduced into other parts of Asia, in Europe and South America. In this study, (1) we conducted a genetic characterization of C. erythraeus introduced into Argentina and compared them with native and introduced populations in Asia, and (2) we analyzed genetic variation among the four invasion foci in Argentina in order to corroborate that the pathway of invasion was a single introduction event in the country and subsequent translocations. We analyzed mitochondrial (cytochrome b, Cyt b; cytochrome oxidase c subunit I, COI and D-loop) and nuclear (recombination activating gene I, RAGI) DNA markers using the classical method (DNA barcoding gap analysis) and also the Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery method (ABGD). The markers D-loop, COI, and RAG1 indicated that the introduced squirrels from the different invasion foci formed a monophyletic group that, together with only one haplotype for the D-loop and COI markers, supported the hypothesis of one introduction event into Argentina followed by subsequent translocations. Unexpectedly, sequences from squirrels captured in Argentina were more related to C. finlaysonii than to C. erythraeus for D-loop and Cyt b markers. However, intraspecific variation among sequences of C. erythraeus belonging to different subspecies or collected in different regions was large and comparable with the distance to the sequences from Argentina. The ABGD method also indicated large genetic variability within C. erythraeus and close proximity between squirrels from Argentina and C. finlaysonii. The complex taxonomy of Callosciurus, as occurs with the sister species C. erythraeus and C. finlaysonii, requires a thorough systematic revision. A simultaneous analysis of diagnostic morphological characters and genetic markers is needed and will provide new insight regarding the worldwide invasion of Asiatic squirrels.Centro Regional de Estudios Genómico

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Physical Properties and Purity of a Galaxy Cluster Sample Selected via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect

We present optical and X-ray properties for the first confirmed galaxy cluster sample selected by the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect from 148 GHz maps over 455 square degrees of sky made with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. These maps, coupled with multi-band imaging on 4-meter-class optical telescopes, have yielded a sample of 23 galaxy clusters with redshifts between 0.118 and 1.066. Of these 23 clusters, 10 are newly discovered. The selection of this sample is approximately mass limited and essentially independent of redshift. We provide optical positions, images, redshifts and X-ray fluxes and luminosities for the full sample, and X-ray temperatures of an important subset. The mass limit of the full sample is around 8e14 Msun, with a number distribution that peaks around a redshift of 0.4. For the 10 highest significance SZE-selected cluster candidates, all of which are optically confirmed, the mass threshold is 1e15 Msun and the redshift range is 0.167 to 1.066. Archival observations from Chandra, XMM-Newton, and ROSAT provide X-ray luminosities and temperatures that are broadly consistent with this mass threshold. Our optical follow-up procedure also allowed us to assess the purity of the ACT cluster sample. Eighty (one hundred) percent of the 148 GHz candidates with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 5.1 (5.7) are confirmed as massive clusters. The reported sample represents one of the largest SZE-selected sample of massive clusters over all redshifts within a cosmologically-significant survey volume, which will enable cosmological studies as well as future studies on the evolution, morphology, and stellar populations in the most massive clusters in the Universe.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Higher resolution figures available at: http://peumo.rutgers.edu/~felipe/e-prints

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Cosmology from Galaxy Clusters Detected via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect

We present constraints on cosmological parameters based on a sample of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich-selected galaxy clusters detected in a millimeter-wave survey by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. The cluster sample used in this analysis consists of 9 optically-confirmed high-mass clusters comprising the high-significance end of the total cluster sample identified in 455 square degrees of sky surveyed during 2008 at 148 GHz. We focus on the most massive systems to reduce the degeneracy between unknown cluster astrophysics and cosmology derived from SZ surveys. We describe the scaling relation between cluster mass and SZ signal with a 4-parameter fit. Marginalizing over the values of the parameters in this fit with conservative priors gives sigma_8 = 0.851 +/- 0.115 and w = -1.14 +/- 0.35 for a spatially-flat wCDM cosmological model with WMAP 7-year priors on cosmological parameters. This gives a modest improvement in statistical uncertainty over WMAP 7-year constraints alone. Fixing the scaling relation between cluster mass and SZ signal to a fiducial relation obtained from numerical simulations and calibrated by X-ray observations, we find sigma_8 = 0.821 +/- 0.044 and w = -1.05 +/- 0.20. These results are consistent with constraints from WMAP 7 plus baryon acoustic oscillations plus type Ia supernoava which give sigma_8 = 0.802 +/- 0.038 and w = -0.98 +/- 0.053. A stacking analysis of the clusters in this sample compared to clusters simulated assuming the fiducial model also shows good agreement. These results suggest that, given the sample of clusters used here, both the astrophysics of massive clusters and the cosmological parameters derived from them are broadly consistent with current models.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to Ap

Cofradías de Arica y Tarapacá en los siglos XVIII y XIX. Indígenas andinos, sistema de cargos religiosos y festividades

Andean peoples expressed popular piety in several ways. Among them, the brotherhoods stand out as an institution inherited from colonial rule which was of great importance in the ritual congregation of the indigenous population, the construction of popular faith and the emergence of a ritual that incorporated elements of Roman Catholic liturgy, catechesis and local practices (ceremonies, dances, masks, costumes, musical instruments, melodies, etc.). This type of mutual aid religious institution, governed by a system of rotating positions, was comprised mainly of lay people who, on the basis of spirituality, the protection of a patron saint or Marian devotion, sought to promote charity and care for their members (brothers).Las poblaciones andinas expresaron de diversas formas la religiosidad popular. Entre ellas, las cofradías destacan por ser una institución heredada del régimen colonial que gravitó la congregación ritual de los indígenas, la construcción de una fe popular y el surgimiento de una ritualidad que integró los elementos de la liturgia catequética romana, así como prácticas locales (ceremonias, danzas, máscaras, vestimentas, instrumentos musicales, melodías, etc.). Este tipo de institución religiosa de socorro mutuo, regida por un sistema de cargos rotativos, estaba integrada preferentemente por laicos quienes sobre la base de la espiritualidad, la protección de un santo patrón o la advocación mariana, buscaban la promoción benéfica y asistencial para los cofrades (hermanos)

Assessment of Skeletal Muscle Contractile Properties by Radial Displacement: The Case for Tensiomyography

Skeletal muscle operates as a near-constant volume system; as such muscle shortening during contraction is transversely linked to radial deformation. Therefore, to assess contractile properties of skeletal muscle, radial displacement can be evoked and measured. Mechanomyography measures muscle radial displacement and during the last 20 years, tensiomyography has become the most commonly used and widely reported technique among the various methodologies of mechanomyography. Tensiomyography has been demonstrated to reliably measure peak radial displacement during evoked muscle twitch, as well as muscle twitch speed. A number of parameters can be extracted from the tensiomyography displacement/time curve and the most commonly used and reliable appear to be peak radial displacement and contraction time. The latter has been described as a valid non-invasive means of characterising skeletal muscle, based on fibre-type composition. Over recent years, applications of tensiomyography measurement within sport and exercise have appeared, with applications relating to injury, recovery and performance. Within the present review, we evaluate the perceived strengths and weaknesses of tensiomyography with regard to its efficacy within applied sports medicine settings. We also highlight future tensiomyography areas that require further investigation. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to critically examine the existing evidence surrounding tensiomyography as a tool within the field of sports medicine