Global environmental changes: setting priorities for Latin American coastal habitats.

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.comThe Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) reports that Global Environmental Changes (GEC) are occurring quicker than at any other time over the last 25 million years and impacting upon marine environments (Bellard et al., 2012). There is overwhelming evidence showing that GEC are affecting both the quality and quantity of the goods and services provided by a wide range of marine ecosystems. In order to discuss regional preparedness for global environmental changes, a workshop was held in Ilhabela, Brazil (22- 26 April 2012) entitled "Evaluating the Sensitivity of Central and South American Benthic Communities to Global Environmental Changes" that drew together scientists from ten Latin American and three European countries. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Valorisation of red beet waste: one-step extraction and separation of betalains and chlorophylls using thermoreversible aqueous biphasic systems

Globally, up to 50% of root crops, fruits and vegetables produced is wasted. Beetroot stems and leaves fit into this scenario, with only a small fraction being used in cattle food. One way of approaching this problem is through their valorisation, by extracting and recovering valuable compounds present in this type of waste that could be used in other applications, while contributing towards a circular economy. In this work, a new integrated process using thermoreversible aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of quaternary ammonium-based ionic liquids (ILs) and polypropyleneglycol 400 g mol−1 (PPG) is shown to allow the one-step extraction and separation of two pigment classes—betalains and chlorophylls—from red beet stems and leaves. The pigment extraction was carried out with a monophasic aqueous solution of the IL and PPG, whose phase separation was then achieved by a temperature switch, resulting in the simultaneous separation of chlorophylls and betalains into opposite phases. A central composite design was used to optimise the extraction parameters (time, temperature, and solid : liquid (S/L) ratio) of both pigment extraction yields, reaching at 20 °C, 70 min and a S/L ratio of 0.12 a maximum extraction yield of 6.67 wt% for betalains and 1.82 wt% for chlorophylls (per weight of biomass). Moreover, it is shown that aqueous solutions of ILs better stabilise betalains than the gold standard solvent used for the extraction method. Among the studied systems, the ABS comprising the IL N-ethyl-N-methyl-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl) bromide ([N21(2OH)(2OH)]Br) presented the best separation performance, with an extraction efficiency of 92% and 95% for chlorophylls and betalains, respectively, for opposite phases. The pigments were removed from the respective phases using affinity resins, with high recoveries: 96% for betalains and 98% for chlorophylls, further allowing the IL reuse. Finally, the cyto- and ecotoxicities of the quaternary ammonium-based ILs were determined. The obtained results disclosed low to negligible toxicity in the thousands of mg L−1 range, with [N21(2OH)(2OH)]Br being harmless from an ecotoxicological point of view. Overall, it is shown here that the developed process is an innovative approach for the one-step extraction and selective separation of pigments contributing to the valorisation of waste biomass

Quantification of Leishmania infantum DNA in females, eggs and larvae of Rhipicephalus sanguineus

<p/> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Leishmania infantum </it>is a widespread parasite that affects dogs and humans worldwide. It is transmitted primarily by phlebotomine sand flies, but recently there has been much discussion on the role of the brown dog tick, <it>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</it>, as a potential vector for this protozoan. Recent laboratory and field investigations have contributed to this hypothesis, but a proof of the vector capacity of <it>R. sanguineus </it>has yet to be provided. Following a recent study suggesting that <it>L. infantum </it>passes transovarially from the female tick to her progeny the current study provides new evidence of the transovarial transmission of <it>L. infantum </it>in <it>R. sanguineus</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Engorged females of <it>R. sanguineus </it>were collected from the environment in a dog shelter of southern Italy, where canine leishmaniosis is endemic. In the laboratory, 97 females that successfully laid eggs, their eggs and the originated larvae were subjected to DNA extraction and then tested by a TaqMan-based real time PCR targeting a fragment of the kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) of <it>L. infantum</it>.</p> <p>Results and conclusions</p> <p><it>L. infantum </it>kDNA was detected in engorged females, their eggs and originating larvae, with a parasite load ranging from 1.8 × 10^-4to 10.0 × 10⁰. Certainly, the current study provides further evidence on the passage of <it>L. infantum </it>from <it>R. sanguineus </it>females to their offspring. The observation of promastigote forms in larvae is necessary to definitively confirm this hypothesis, which would raise interesting questions about the possible role of ticks in the maintenance of <it>L. infantum </it>infection among dogs in certain areas.</p

Abundance and Diversity of Dockerin-Containing Proteins in the Fiber-Degrading Rumen Bacterium, Ruminococcus flavefaciens FD-1

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Detection of Leishmania infantum DNA mainly in Rhipicephalus sanguineus male ticks removed from dogs living in endemic areas of canine leishmaniosis

Background: Sand flies are the only biologically adapted vectors of Leishmania parasites, however, a possible role in the transmission of Leishmania has been proposed for other hematophagous ectoparasites such as ticks. In order to evaluate natural infection by Leishmania infantum in Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks, taking into account its close association with dogs, 128 adult R. sanguineus ticks removed from 41 dogs living in endemic areas of canine leishmaniosis were studied. Methods: Individual DNA extraction was performed from each tick and whole blood taken from dogs. Dog sera were tested for IgG antibodies to L. infantum antigen by ELISA and L. infantum real-time PCR was performed from canine whole blood samples and ticks. Results: Leishmania infantum PCR was positive in 13 ticks (10.1%) including one female, (2.0%) and 12 males (15.2%), and in only five dogs (12.2%). Male ticks had a significantly higher infection rate when compared to female R. sanguineus. The percentage of L. infantum seroreactive dogs was 19.5%. All but two PCR positive dogs were seroreactive. Leishmania infantum PCR positive ticks were removed from seropositive and seronegative dogs with a variety of PCR results. Conclusions: This study demonstrates high prevalence of L. infantum DNA in R. sanguineus ticks removed from L. infantum seropositive and seronegative dogs. The presence of L. infantum DNA was detected mainly in male ticks possibly due to their ability to move between canine hosts and feed on several canine hosts during the adult life stage. Additional studies are needed to further explore the role of R. sanguineus ticks and in particular, male adults, in both the epidemiology and immunology of L. infantum infection in dogs in endemic areas

Z boson production in Pb+Pb collisions at √Snn = 5.02 TeV measured by the ATLAS experiment

The production yield of Z bosons is measured in the electron and muon decay channels in Pb+Pb collisions at √S = 5.02 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Data from the 2015 LHC run corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.49 nb are used for the analysis. The Z boson yield, normalised by the total number of minimum-bias events and the mean nuclear thickness function, is measured as a function of dilepton rapidity and event centrality. The measurements in Pb+Pb collisions are compared with similar measurements made in proton-proton collisions at the same centre-of-mass energy. The nuclear modification factor is found to be consistent with unity for all centrality intervals. The results are compared with theoretical predictions obtained at next-to-leading order using nucleon and nuclear parton distribution functions. The normalised Z boson yields in Pb+Pb collisions lie 1-3σ above the predictions. The nuclear modification factor measured as a function of rapidity agrees with unity and is consistent with a next-to-leading-order QCD calculation including the isospin effect. nn -

Search for flavour-changing neutral currents in processes with one top quark and a photon using 81 fb−1 of pp collisions at s=13TeV with the ATLAS experiment

A search for flavour-changing neutral current (FCNC) events via the coupling of a top quark, a photon, and an up or charm quark is presented using 81 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data taken at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events with a photon, an electron or muon, a b-tagged jet, and missing transverse momentum are selected. A neural network based on kinematic variables differentiates between events from signal and background processes. The data are consistent with the background-only hypothesis, and limits are set on the strength of the tqγ coupling in an effective field theory. These are also interpreted as 95% CL upper limits on the cross section for FCNC tγ production via a left-handed (right-handed) tuγ coupling of 36 fb (78 fb) and on the branching ratio for t→γu of 2.8×10−5 (6.1×10−5). In addition, they are interpreted as 95% CL upper limits on the cross section for FCNC tγ production via a left-handed (right-handed) tcγ coupling of 40 fb (33 fb) and on the branching ratio for t→γc of 22×10−5 (18×10−5)