Biogas Upgrading and Ammonia Recovery from Livestock Manure Digestates in a Combined Electromethanogenic Biocathode—Hydrophobic Membrane System

Anaerobic digestion process can be improved in combination with bioelectrochemical systems in order to recover energy and resources from digestates. An electromethanogenic microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) coupled to an ammonia recovery system based on hydrophobic membranes (ARS-HM) has been developed in order to recover ammonia, reduce organic matter content and upgrade biogas from digested pig slurry. A lab-scale dual-chamber MEC was equipped with a cation exchange membrane (CEM) and ARS with a hydrophobic membrane in the catholyte recirculation loop, to promote ammonia migration and absorption in an acidic solution. On the other hand, an electromethanogenic biofilm was developed in the biocathode to promote the transformation of CO2 into methane. The average nitrogen transference through the CEM was of 0.36 gN m−2 h−1 with a removal efficiency of 31%, with the ARS-HM in the catholyte recirculation loop. The removal of ammonia from the cathode compartment helped to maintain a lower pH value for the electromethanogenic biomass (7.69 with the ARS-HM, against 8.88 without ARS-HM) and boosted methane production from 50 L m−3 d−1 to 73 L m−3 d−1. Results have shown that the integration of an electromethanogenic MEC with an ARS-HM allows for the concomitant recovery of energy and ammonia from high strength wastewater digestates.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Inactive trans-sialidase expression in iTS-null Trypanosoma cruzi generates virulent trypomastigotes

Disclosing virulence factors from pathogens is required to better understand the pathogenic mechanisms involved in their interaction with the host. In the case of Trypanosoma cruzi several molecules are associated with virulence. Among them, the trans-sialidase (TS) has arisen as one of particular relevance due to its effect on the immune system and involvement in the interaction/invasion of the host cells. The presence of conserved genes encoding for an inactive TS (iTS) isoform is puzzlingly restricted to the genome of parasites from the Discrete Typing Units TcII, TcV, and TcVI, which include highly virulent strains. Previous in vitro results using recombinant iTS support that this isoform could play a different or complementary pathogenic role to that of the enzymatically active protein. However, direct evidence involving iTS in in vivo pathogenesis and invasion is still lacking. Here we faced this challenge by transfecting iTS-null parasites with a recombinant gene that allowed us to follow its expression and association with pathological events. We found that iTS expression improves parasite invasion of host cells and increases their in vivo virulence for mice as shown by histopathologic findings in heart and skeletal muscle.Fil: Pascuale, Carla Antonela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Burgos, Juan Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Postan, Miriam. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”; ArgentinaFil: Lantos, Andrés Bernardo Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Bertelli, Adriano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Campetella, Oscar Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Leguizamon, Maria Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; Argentin

Startup strategy for nitrogen removal via nitrite in a BAF system

A biological aerated filter (BAF) pilot plant consisting of two reactors (aerobic and anoxic one) was used to determine a strategy to remove nitrogen via nitrite. RNA/DNA analysis was performed to assess microbial activity and support chemical results. In less than 13 days the pilot plant was able to remove COD and suspended solids. Nitrogen removal via nitrite pathway could not be observed until day 130 when the empty bed contact time (EBCT) was set at 0.71 h. Nitrite was detected in the aerated BAF effluent but never nitrate. qPCR of amoA gene from RNA and DNA extracts of the aerobic biofilm confirmed that ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were present from the beginning of the operation but not active. AOB activity increased with time, reaching stability from operational day 124. The combination of both, low EBCT together with high OLR, has been demonstrated to be a feasible strategy to startup a BAF to achieve nitrogen removal via nitrite.info:eu-repo/semantics/submittedVersio

Bullfighting. Description by English travellers in Spain in the 19th century

Se ofrecen tres breves extractos de viajeros ingleses del siglo XIX referentes a la fiesta de los toros, con distintos matices. Están tomados, el primero, de William Jacob, Travels in the South of Spain in Letters written A. D. 1809 and 1810, publicada en Londres en 1811. El segundo, del libro de Hoskings, Spain as it is, Londres 1851. Y el tercero, de la obra de Calvert, Impressions of Spain, Londres 1903.This paper presents three brief extracts by English travellers about bullfighting in Spain during the nineteenth century. The first texts is taken from William Jacob’s Travels in the South of Spain in Letters written A. D. 1809 and 1810, published in London in 1811. The second one is taken from the book by Hoskings, Spain as it is, London 1851. The third is Impressions of Spain, London, 1903, by Calvert.Grupo de Investigación Antropología y Filosofía (SEJ-126). Universidad de Granad

Perfil somatomotor e indicadores de saúde de adolescentes com índices alterados de glicemia

O objetivo deste trabalho foi descrever o perfil somatomotor e indicadores de saúde de adolescentes com índices alterados de glicemia. Sendo um estudo de caráter descritivoexploratório, foram sujeitos desse estudo 578 escolares com idade entre 7 e 17 anos, de 15 escolas, participantes da pesquisa intitulada Perfil do Estilo de vida, Somatomotor e Fatores de Risco às Doenças Cardiovasculares: estudo com escolares de Santa Cruz do Sul e participantes de projetos da Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul. A partir dessa amostra inicial foram selecionados os escolares que apresentavam valores alterados de glicemia (glicose>100mg/dl), classificados de acordo com IV Diretrizes Brasileiras de Dislipidemias em Crianças e Adolescentes, totalizando 8 sujeitos, de ambos os sexos, com idade entre 12 e 17 anos. Para coleta de dados, aplicou-se os testes somatomotores, e teste de glicemia, através da coleta de sangue com o aparelho Accuttrend GCT. Com a análise dos indicadores de saúde e de desempenho motor, destacamos que os sujeitos investigados apresentam, de um modo geral, boa saúde, destacando que a maioria dos sujeitos apresentou índice de massa corporal normal. Apenas nos resultados de força e resistência muscular, os índices encontrados foram insatisfatórios, ficando abaixo da Zona Saudável de Aptidão Física. No que se refere dos fatores de risco houveram alterações nos índices de triglicerídeos e pressão arterial diastólica, apontando a possibilidade do indivíduo desencadear resistência a insulina

Experiencia de conservación de Caña de Azúcar picada con agregado de Cal (Oxido de Calcio) a través de un productor demostrador

La actividad ganadera tiene gran trascendencia para la Provincia de Corrientes dado que ocupa el 93% del total de la superficie agropecuaria. Las pequeñas unidades productivas familiares utilizan los animales para la venta, como fuerza de trabajo, autoconsumo y para generar ingresos a través de la elaboración de quesos denominados criollos Teniendo en consideración los materiales forrajeros regionales de alta disponibilidad y capaces de aportar nutrientes a la dieta animal a bajo costo, se optó por la metodología de Productor Demostrador, con el objetivo de difundir la experiencia y activar el proceso de adopción de la técnica propuesta. La caña de azúcar tradicionalmente se corta, pica y se entrega diariamente al animal. Sin embargo, en grandes cantidades, esta técnica se convierte en un obstáculo para el uso porque requiere de mano de obra diaria para los cortes, molienda y transporte. La caña de azúcar mezclada con cal (óxido de Calcio) es un método de conservación, que en esta experiencia permitió almacenar el alimento durante 7 días. Se trabajó con un productor demostrador de la localidad de Santa Ana, Corrientes, cuya apreciación de la experiencia fue sumamente positiva. El mismo se mostró satisfecho ya que no solo incrementó la producción de leche diaria sino que también pudo organizar mejor el tiempo dedicado a la alimentación de los animales. Por ello, podrá enseñarles a sus pares esta técnica que ha podido validar, con lo que se espera la difusión y transferencia tenga mayor impacto

Uso forrajero del follaje de mandioca: un cambio de paradigma productivo para un cultivo tradicional del NEA

Los agricultores familiares de Corrientes, han manifestado la necesidad de incorporar nuevas alternativas para la alimentación de su ganado. Los docentes del Instituto Agrotécnico “P. M. Fuentes Godo” y de la Cátedra de Cultivos III de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias (UNNE), realizan proyectos de extensión conjunta. Dichos proyectos, enmarcados en el programa “La Universidad en el Medio” y acompañados de tareas de investigación que les dan sustento, fueron iniciados en 2017. Como contraparte se trabajó junto a los asesores técnicos de la Secretaría de Agricultura Familiar. Dos cultivos regionales, mandioca y caña de azúcar, fueron seleccionados para su uso forrajero como pilares del proyecto. Ambos se caracterizan por su bajo requerimiento nutricional, plasticidad ambiental y flexibilidad en los tiempos de cosecha. Las hojas de la mandioca que habitualmente son desechadas en el campo, fueron rescatadas como recurso forrajero revalorizándolas por su aporte proteico. Las tecnologías transferidas en los proyectos han sido: i) Microsilaje mixto de caña de azúcar y hojas de mandioca, que aporta energía y proteínas ii) Plantación de mandioca en alta densidad con fines forrajeros. Las experiencias fueron validadas y las tecnologías en diferentes niveles han sido transferidas y están siendo adoptadas por los productores de la región NEA (Noreste Argentino). Las alternativas propuestas contribuyen a mejorar la actividad ganadera de pequeña escala, permitiendo utilizar y conservar el material vegetal para las épocas de déficit. Los resultados obtenidos han motivado el interés en utilizar particularmente el cultivo de mandioca con un nuevo sistema productivo para un destino forrajero

Immune and spermatogenesis-related loci are involved in the development of extreme patterns of male infertility

Acknowledgements We thank the National DNA Bank Carlos III (University of Salamanca, Spain) for supplying part of the control DNA samples from Spain and all the participants for their essential collaboration. This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science through the Spanish National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation (refs. SAF2016-78722-R and PID2020-120157RB-I00), the Andalusian Plan for Research and Innovation (PAIDI 2020) (ref. PY20_00212), and the R+D+i Projects of the FEDER Operational Programme 2020 (ref. B-CTS-584-UGR20). F.D.C. was supported by the “Ramón y Cajal” programme (ref. RYC-2014-16458), and L.B.C. was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the “Juan de la Cierva Incorporación” programme (ref. IJC2018-038026-I, funded by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/ 501100011033), all of them including FEDER funds. A.G.J. was funded by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and FSE “El FSE invierte en tu futuro” (ref. FPU20/02926). IPATIMUP integrates the i3S Research Unit, which is partially supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), financed by the European Social Funds (COMPETE-FEDER) and National Funds (projects PEstC/SAU/LA0003/2013 and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274). A.M.L. is funded by the Portuguese Government through FCT (IF/01262/2014). P.I.M. is supported by the FCT post-doctoral fellowship (SFRH/BPD/120777/2016), financed from the Portuguese State Budget of the Ministry for Science, Technology and High Education and from the European Social Fund, available through the Programa Operacional do Capital Humano. ToxOmics—Centre for Toxicogenomics and Human Health, Genetics, Oncology and Human Toxicology, Nova Medical School, Lisbon, is also partially supported by FCT (Projects: UID/BIM/00009/ 2013 and UIDB/UIDP/00009/2020). SLarriba received support from “Instituto de Salud Carlos III” (grant DTS18/00101], co-funded by FEDER funds/European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)—a way to build Europe), and from “Generalitat de Catalunya” (grant 2017SGR191). SLarriba is sponsored by the “Researchers Consolidation Programme” from the SNS-Departament de Salut Generalitat de Catalunya (Exp. CES09/ 020). The German cohort was recruited within the Male Reproductive Genomics (MERGE) study and supported by the German Research Foundation Clinical Research Unit ‘Male Germ Cells’ (DFG CRU326, grants to F.T. and J.G.). This article is related to the Ph.D. Doctoral Thesis of Miriam Cerván-Martín (grant ref. BES-2017-081222 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and FSE “El FSE invierte en tu futuro”).We conducted a genome-wide association study in a large population of infertile men due to unexplained spermatogenic failure (SPGF). More than seven million genetic variants were analysed in 1,274 SPGF cases and 1,951 unaffected controls from two independent European cohorts. Two genomic regions were associated with the most severe histological pattern of SPGF, defined by Sertoli cell-only (SCO) phenotype, namely the MHC class II gene HLA-DRB1 (rs1136759, P = 1.32E-08, OR = 1.80) and an upstream locus of VRK1 (rs115054029, P = 4.24E-08, OR = 3.14), which encodes a protein kinase involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis. The SCO-associated rs1136759 allele (G) determines a serine in the position 13 of the HLA-DRβ1 molecule located in the antigen-binding pocket. Overall, our data support the notion of unexplained SPGF as a complex trait influenced by common variation in the genome, with the SCO phenotype likely representing an immune-mediated condition.Andalusian Plan for Research and InnovationJuan de la Cierva Incorporación IJC2018-038026-IMinistry for Science, Technology and High EducationBES-2017-081222, MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033National Funds IF/01262/2014, PEstC/SAU/LA0003/2013, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274, SFRH/BPD/120777/2016PAIDI 2020 PY20_00212R+D+i Projects B-CTS-584-UGR20, RYC-2014-16458Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester FPU20/02926Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG CRU326Fundação para a Ciência e a TecnologiaGeneralitat de Catalunya 2017SGR191Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadInstituto de Salud Carlos III DTS18/00101Ministerio de Ciencia e InnovaciónEuropean Social Fund UIDB/UIDP/00009/2020European Regional Development FundFundació Catalana de TrasplantamentDepartament de Salut, Generalitat de Catalunya CES09/020Programa Operacional Temático Factores de CompetitividadeSpanish National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation PID2020-120157RB-I00, SAF2016-78722-