Scaling Erica arborea transpiration from trees up to the stand using auxiliary micrometeorological information in a wax myrtle-tree heath cloud forest (La Gomera, Canary Islands)

We investigate evapotranspiration, sap flow and top soil water content variations in a wax myrtle-tree heath ('fayal-brezal' in Spanish) cloud forest in the Garajonay National Park (La Gomera, Canary Islands) over a 1-year period. We provide transpiration estimates for one of the representative species, the shrubby needle-like Erica arborea L., present in this relict subtropical forest. An ad hoc tree up to the stand scaling method that combines the sap flow and auxiliary reference evapotranspiration data is illustrated, showing to be useful when sap flow in a limited number of trees has been monitored. Individual dailybased scaling curves of the Gompertz type were necessary to explain the observed sap flow variability in E. arborea during the 1-year period investigated (r 2 ≥ 0.953 with mode of r 2 = 0.9999). The mean daily sap flow of an E. arborea individual amounted to 8.37 ± 5.65 kg day −1 tree −1 , with a maximum of 20.48 kg day −1 tree −1 , yielding an annual total of 3052.89 kg tree −1 . A comparison of the computed daily transpiration with the continuous micrometeorological time series monitored in the studied plot suggested that solar radiation was the main driving force of transpiration in E. arborea (cross correlation index = 0.94). Fog may also affect tree transpiration via its reduction of radiation and temperature, such that during foggy periods the mean daily water loss estimate of E. arborea was 5.35 ± 4.30 kg day −1 tree −1 , which sharply contrasted with the 2.4-fold average transpiration values obtained for fog-free days, i.e., 12.81 ± 4.33 kg day −1 tree −1 . The annual water balance rendered a 288 mm year −1 water input to the forest and evidenced the need for accurately quantifying the contribution of fog water dripping from the canopy

Digging deeper into colonial palaeontological practices in modern day Mexico and Brazil

Scientific practices stemming from colonialism, whereby middle- and low-income countries supply data for high-income countries and the contributions of local expertise are devalued, are still prevalent today in the field of palaeontology. In response to these unjust practices, countries such as Mexico and Brazil adopted protective laws and regulations during the twentieth century to preserve their palaeontological heritage. However, scientific colonialism is still reflected in many publications describing fossil specimens recovered from these countries. Here, we present examples of ‘palaeontological colonialism’ from publications on Jurassic–Cretaceous fossils from NE Mexico and NE Brazil spanning the last three decades. Common issues that we identified in these publications are the absence of both fieldwork and export permit declarations and the lack of local experts among authorships. In Mexico, access to many fossil specimens is restricted on account of these specimens being housed in private collections, whereas a high number of studies on Brazilian fossils are based on specimens illegally reposited in foreign collections, particularly in Germany and Japan. Finally, we outline and discuss the wider academic and social impacts of these research practices, and propose exhaustive recommendations to scientists, journals, museums, research institutions and government and funding agencies in order to overcome these practices

Stepwise strategy based on 1H-NMR fingerprinting in combination with chemometrics to determine the content of vegetable oils in olive oil mixtures

1H NMR fingerprinting of edible oils and a set of multivariate classification and regression models organised in a decision tree is proposed as a stepwise strategy to assure the authenticity and traceability of olive oils and their declared blends with other vegetable oils (VOs). Oils of the 'virgin olive oil' and 'olive oil' categories and their mixtures with the most common VOs, i.e. sunflower, high oleic sunflower, hazelnut, avocado, soybean, corn, refined palm olein and desterolized high oleic sunflower oils, were studied. Partial least squares (PLS) discriminant analysis provided stable and robust binary classification models to identify the olive oil type and the VO in the blend. PLS regression afforded models with excellent precisions and acceptable accuracies to determine the percentage of VO in the mixture. The satisfactory performance of this approach, tested with blind samples, confirm its potential to support regulations and control bodies. Keywords: Adulteration; Authentication; Decision tree; Multivariate data analysis; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Olive oil

In vivo antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles produced via a green chemistry synthesis using Acacia rigidula as a reducing and capping agent

Introduction: One of the main issues in the medical field and clinical practice is the development of novel and effective treatments against infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. One avenue that has been approached to develop effective antimicrobials is the use of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), since they have been found to exhibit an efficient and wide spectrum of antimicrobial properties. Among the main drawbacks of using Ag-NPs are their potential cytotoxicity against eukaryotic cells and the latent environmental toxicity of their synthesis methods. Therefore, diverse green synthesis methods, which involve the use of environmentally friendly plant extracts as reductive and capping agents, have become attractive to synthesize Ag-NPs that exhibit antimicrobial effects against resistant bacteria at concentrations below toxicity thresholds for eukaryotic cells. Purpose: In this study, we report a green one-pot synthesis method that uses Acacia rigidula extract as a reducing and capping agent, to produce Ag-NPs with applications as therapeutic agents to treat infections in vivo. Materials and methods: The Ag-NPs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, selected area electron diffraction, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible, and Fourier transform infrared. Results: We show that Ag-NPs are spherical with a narrow size distribution. The Ag-NPs show antimicrobial activities in vitro against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and a clinical multidrug-resistant strain of P. aeruginosa) and Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) bacteria. Moreover, antimicrobial effects of the Ag-NPs, against a resistant P. aeruginosa clinical strain, were tested in a murine skin infection model. The results demonstrate that the Ag-NPs reported in this work are capable of eradicating pathogenic resistant bacteria in an infection in vivo. In addition, skin, liver, and kidney damage profiles were monitored in the murine infection model, and the results demonstrate that Ag-NPs can be used safely as therapeutic agents in animal models. Conclusion: Together, these results suggest the potential use of Ag-NPs, synthesized by green chemistry methods, as therapeutic agents against infections caused by resistant and nonresistant strains. Keywords: silver nanoparticles, green synthesis, in vitro antibacterial activity, in vivo antibacterial activity, skin infection, toxicological stud

Congenital leptin deficiency and leptin gene missense mutation found in two colombian sisters with severe obesity

Background: Congenital leptin deficiency is a recessive genetic disorder associated with severe early-onset obesity. It is caused by mutations in the leptin (LEP) gene, which encodes the protein product leptin. These mutations may cause nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, defective secretion or the phenomenon of biologically inactive leptin, but typically lead to an absence of circulating leptin, resulting in a rare type of monogenic extreme obesity with intense hyperphagia, and serious metabolic abnormalities. Methods: We present two severely obese sisters from Colombia, members of the same lineal consanguinity. Their serum leptin was measured by MicroELISA. DNA sequencing was performed on MiSeq equipment (Illumina) of a next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel involving genes related to severe obesity, including LEP. Results: Direct sequencing of the coding region of LEP gene in the sisters revealed a novel homozygous missense mutation in exon 3 [NM_002303.3], C350G>T [p.C117F]. Detailed information and clinical measurements of these sisters were also collected. Their serum leptin levels were undetectable despite their markedly elevated fat mass. Conclusions: The mutation of LEP, absence of detectable leptin, and the severe obesity found in these sisters provide the first evidence of monogenic leptin deficiency reported in the continents of North and South America. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Eur. food res. technol.

The target of this paper is the study of anthocyanin and tannin extraction from red grape during maceration, the formation of new pigments, and the evolution profiles of anthocyanin derivatives and tannins during the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations and aging in oak barrels and steel vats. 2 anthocyanins, 38 anthocyanin derivatives and 37 tannins were monitored. Formation of all classes of anthocyanin derivatives starts quickly after anthocyanin extraction from grape. Their maximum levels are reached a few days after apex of anthocyanins during maceration/alcoholic fermentation. Indirect condensation derivatives showed less stable behavior than that of the direct flavanol-anthocyanin products during fermentations and aging. Within pyranoanthocyanins, vitisin B had more instability than vitisin A. Extraction of tannins from grape occurs slower than that of anthocyanins. Major tannins are procyanidin homodimers with B bond (45% of total tannins after fermentations), followed by monomers (around 25%) and mixed B dimers (more than 10%). Tannins suffer a general continuous decrease during aging, with increasing relevance of more oxygenated tannins as aging advances. Fermentations are crucial stages in the formation of anthocyanin derivatives. In contrast, aging causes a continuous degradation for nearly all classes of anthocyanin derivatives and tannins, with a more stable behavior for some of them. Thus, establishing with confidence which enological conditions favor each type of derivative during fermentation is an important goal for future research. This work studies many individual compounds, involves exhaustive sampling and covers the different winemaking stages at an industrial winemaking scale, contributing to a more complete vision

Análisis de la actividad física y su importancia en el sistema educativo ecuatoriano: carrera Gestión Empresarial de la Universidad Estatal de Sur de Manabí

The purpose of this article is to analyze physical activity and its importance in the Ecuadorian educational system: business management career at the state university of the South of Manabí, for it was necessary to incorporate the review of different documents, laws and electronic material with the purpose of giving the respective organization to the ideas to capture significant valuations regarding the subject. It is important to emphasize that the same need to transform the educational system, forces the Ecuadorian State to introduce educational policies characterized by generating changes in their curricular meshes, that is, physical activity is fixed as a possible fundamental strategy to achieve significant results in the pedagogical dynamics; Therefore, when students carry out physical activities, they build personal, social, psychological, and motor skills that help them to achieve the objectives proposed at each school level, since their learning is determined by an efficient management of their potential from an integral perspective. However, when the didactic action moves away from these precepts it adds a deterioration in the educational quality, it is there, where the Law of Education and Culture (1983) in its article 2 numeral 1 -2 that "it is a primary duty of the State to that all Ecuadorians have a comprehensive education and the obligation to participate actively in the national educational process." (p.1) Therefore, the students of the business management career, have opportunities to use their physical, motor, social, personal development during their academic activities, resize their human condition and build the bases to adapt their professional tasks in relation to the job responsibilities as manager or administrator thatprecede their performance; Being prepared under a physical activity, they develop as dynamic individuals with possibilities to discover and cultivate the qualities that are going to form itintegrallyEl desarrollo del presente artículo tiene como propósito analizar la actividad física y su importancia en el sistema educativo ecuatoriano: carrera gestión empresarial de la universidad estatal del Sur de Manabí, para la misma fue necesario incorporar la revisión de diferentes documentos, leyes y material electrónico con el fin de dar la respectiva organización a las ideas para plasmar valoraciones significativas en cuanto al tema. Es importante destacar, que la misma necesidad de transformar el sistema educativo, obliga al Estado ecuatoriano a introducir políticas educativas caracterizadas por generar cambios en sus mallas curriculares, es decir, se fija la actividad física como una posible estrategia fundamental para lograr resultados significativos en la dinámica pedagógica; pues, los estudiantes al realizar actividades físicas construye competencias personales, sociales, psicológicas, motoras que le ayudan a cumplir con los objetivos propuestos en cada nivel escolar, pues, su aprendizaje está determinado por un manejo eficiente de sus potencialidades desde una perspectiva integral.  Sin embargo, cuando la acción didáctica se aleja de estos preceptos agrega un desmejoramiento en la calidad educativa, es allí, donde la Ley de Educación y Cultura (1983) en su artículo 2 numeral 1 - 2 que “es un deber primordial del Estado a que todos los Ecuatorianos tengan una educación integral y la obligación de participar activamente en el proceso educativo nacional”. (p.1)  Por ello, los estudiantes de la carrera gestión empresarial, poseen oportunidades de emplear su desarrollo físico, motor, social, personal durante sus actividades académicas, redimensionan su condición humana y construyen las bases para adecuar sus tareas profesionales en relación a las responsabilidades laborales como gerente o administrador que se anteponen en su desempeño; al ser preparados bajo una actividad física, se desarrollan como individuos dinámicos con posibilidades para descubrir y cultivar las cualidades que van a formarlo integralmente

Effect of an Edible Coating Based on Chitosan and Oxidized Starch on Shelf Life of Carica papaya L., and Its Physicochemical and Antimicrobial Properties

Papaya production plays an important economic role in Mexico’s economy. After harvest, it continues to ripen, leading to softening, skin color changes, development of strong aroma, and microbial spoilage. The objective of this work was to apply an active coating of chitosan–starch to increase papaya shelf life and to evaluate physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of the coating. Papaya surfaces were coated with a chitosan-oxidized starch (1:3 w/w) solution and stored at room temperature (25 ± 1 °C) for 15 days. Variables measured were color, titratable acidity, vitamin C, pH, soluble solids, volatile compounds by gas chromatography, texture, homogeneity by image analysis, and coating antimicrobial activity. At the end of the storage time, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between coated and uncoated papayas for pH (4.3 ± 0.2), titratable acidity (0.12% ± 0.01% citric acid), and soluble solids (12 ± 0.2 °Bx). Papaya firmness decreased to 10 N for coated and 0.5 N for uncoated papayas. Volatile compounds identified in uncoated papaya (acetic acid, butyric acid, ethyl acetate, ethyl butanoate) are related to fermentation. Total microbial population of coated papaya decreased after 15 days, whereas population of uncoated papaya increased. This active coating permitted longer shelf life of papaya than that of the uncoated fruit