Integration of functional and traditional food in emerging markets. Regulatory and substantive aspects of yerba mate and quinoa

Given the rising cost of healthcare, the increase in life expectancy and the wish for a better quality of life, the request for foods and beverages producing a beneficial effect on health has increased worldwide. “Functional food” is a new concept and may play a key role in diseases’ prevention and management. Although its meaning is currently under definition, its role in global health improvement is growing constantly. This article aims at giving a description of existing legislation on functional food in South America, identifying future directions for health and marketing policies. Furthermore, authors provide a literature revision on two products widely consumed in Latin American countries: Yerba Mate and Quinoa. Thanks to their beneficial health effects in terms of disease prevention and promotion of well-being, they may be considered as functional foods with a potential key role in health care

Ceibal en Inglés:ELT through videoconferencing in Uruguay

In 2013, Ceibal en Inglés, a project through which English is taught in state schools through videoconferencing in Uruguay, was included in an international journal as an example of an innovative practice (Banegas, 2013). The article discussed the project rationale and described how lessons were planned and delivered to primary school learners through peer teaching. The project involved a remote EFL teacher and a classroom teacher with little knowledge of English. As a follow-up to that article, the aim of this paper is to explore and evaluate how such an innovative practice has continued its trajectory not only in primary but also in secondary education. Drawing on the authors’ experience, the literature on the project itself, and language learning and technology, the article offers a summary of Ceibal en Inglés and figures about its expansion. It also includes a discussion of the effects of Ceibal en Inglés on English language learning, learner and teacher motivation, teacher professional development, and the interplay between technology-mediated learning and face-to-face learning. The paper finishes with remarks on project sustainability, benefits, and challenges

Relationship between corneal temperature and i0ntraocular pressure in healthy Individuals. a clinical thermographic analysis

To study the geographical distribution of corneal temperature (CT) and its influence on the intraocular pressure (IOP) of healthy human volunteers. Materials and Methods. Fifteen subjects (7 M, 8 F), 33.8 +/- 17.4 years old, were enrolled in this pilot, cross-sectional study. Measurements of CT were taken after one hour with closed eyelids (CET) or closed eyelids with a cooling mask (cm-CET) and compared to baseline. Results. If compared to baseline, after CET, average CT significantly increased by 0.56 degrees C in the RE and by 0.48 degrees C in the LE (p < 0.001) and IOP concomitantly significantly increased by 1.13 mm Hg and 1.46 mm Hg, respectively, in each eye (p < 0.001). After cm-CET, average CT significantly decreased by 0.11 degrees C and 0.20 degrees C, respectively, in the RE and LE (RE p = 0.04; LE p = 0.024), followed by a significant IOP decrease of 2.19 mm Hg and 1.54 mm Hg, respectively, in each eye (RE p < 0.001; LE = 0.0019). Conclusion. Significant variations of CT occurred after CET and cm-CET and were directly correlated with significant differences of IOP. It can be speculated that both oxidative stress and sympathetic nerve fiber stimulation by temperature oscillations may affect the regulation of AH vortex flow and turnover, thus influencing IOP values

Compressing Proteomes: The Relevance of Medium Range Correlations

We study the nonrandomness of proteome sequences by analysing the correlations that arise between amino acids at a short and medium range, more specifically, between amino acids located 10 or 100 residues apart; respectively. We show that statistical models that consider these two types of correlation are more likely to seize the information contained in protein sequences and thus achieve good compression rates. Finally, we propose that the cause for this redundancy is related to the evolutionary origin of proteomes and protein sequences

Potential of ALOS2 and NDVI to estimate forest above-ground biomass, and comparison with lidar-derived estimates

Remote sensing supports carbon estimation, allowing the upscaling of field measurements to large extents. Lidar is considered the premier instrument to estimate above ground biomass, but data are expensive and collected on-demand, with limited spatial and temporal coverage. The previous JERS and ALOS SAR satellites data were extensively employed to model forest biomass, with literature suggesting signal saturation at low-moderate biomass values, and an influence of plot size on estimates accuracy. The ALOS2 continuity mission since May 2014 produces data with improved features with respect to the former ALOS, such as increased spatial resolution and reduced revisit time. We used ALOS2 backscatter data, testing also the integration with additional features (SAR textures and NDVI from Landsat 8 data) together with ground truth, to model and map above ground biomass in two mixed forest sites: Tahoe (California) and Asiago (Alps). While texture was useful to improve the model performance, the best model was obtained using joined SAR and NDVI (R2 equal to 0.66). In this model, only a slight saturation was observed, at higher levels than what usually reported in literature for SAR; the trend requires further investigation but the model confirmed the complementarity of optical and SAR datatypes. For comparison purposes, we also generated a biomass map for Asiago using lidar data, and considered a previous lidar-based study for Tahoe; in these areas, the observed R2 were 0.92 for Tahoe and 0.75 for Asiago, respectively. The quantitative comparison of the carbon stocks obtained with the two methods allows discussion of sensor suitability. The range of local variation captured by lidar is higher than those by SAR and NDVI, with the latter showing overestimation. However, this overestimation is very limited for one of the study areas, suggesting that when the purpose is the overall quantification of the stored carbon, especially in areas with high carbon density, satellite data with lower cost and broad coverage can be as effective as lidar

Diagnostico de faenas de cosecha de alamo en rodales pertenecientes a pequenos propietarios de la region del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins

76 p.Se analizaron las operaciones de tala rasa en los híbridos I-214 e I-488 en pequeños propietarios de la Región del Libertador Bernardo O´Higgins. Se midió en terreno el dap y la altura por árbol para todos los rodales estudiados y se aplicó una encuesta a cada propietario. Se construyó un potencial factor de determinación de volumen cosechado a partir de información del rodal (dap, altura y densidad). Futuros estudios se requieren para validar o modificar este factor construido. Por otra parte, para cada híbrido se ajustaron modelos de regresión múltiple para la altura basados en el dap. A partir de estos modelos, se generó una regresión para cada rodal. Para establecer las similitudes y diferencias existentes en las regresiones, estas se analizaron en forma conjunta con la información de manejo, edad de rotación e intervenciones, determinándose la medida en que estas afectan el comportamiento de los rodales. Finalmente, se caracterizó la faena de cosecha, como una operación tradicional semimecanizada y con deficiencias técnicas en su ejecución debido a la carencia de un proceso continuo de planificación ya que esta era condicionada por demandas y precios fijados por el mercado. Palabras claves: Álamo, cosecha, pequeños propietarios

The Effects of Financial Aid and Returns Information in Selective and Less Selective Schools : Experimental Evidence from Chile

Schools that provide higher education often belong to either a merit-based selective system or an open-access less selective system. This paper presents the results of a field experiment that provided Grade 12 students in Chile with tailored information about financial aid and average earnings and employment probabilities for schools and careers in both types of schools. No effect is found on the extensive margins of enrollment in the selective or in the less selective sector. Treated students change their intensive margin decisions: they choose careers and schools with lower expected wages and lower employment probabilities, but with higher quality relative to their baseline preferences

Genetic variability of meat quality traits in Chianina beef cattle

The heritability of quality traits (chemical composition, colour, tenderness and water-holding capacity) of the meat derivingfrom three muscles (Triceps brachii, Longissimus dorsi and Semitendinosus) was evaluated in 92 young Chianinabulls. The animals were raised on two farms with different feeding programs, and were slaughtered at approximately 19months of age. Single pair correlations were considered in order to evidence the relationships between the same traitsdetected in the three muscles and between all the traits of the same muscle.The h2 values range from 0.00 to 0.24 for the chemical composition, from 0.00 to 0.19 for colour parameters, from 0.03to 0.31 for those observed after 48 h, and from 0.00 to 0.08 for tenderness and water-holding capacity. The values werenot homogeneous for the three muscles. The most heritable trait was yellowness (b*48) in all three muscles, with valuesof 0.11 in the Longissimus dorsi, 0.23 in the Semitendinosus, and 0.31 in the Triceps brachii. Conversely, tendernessappeared to have a low heritability, as did the parameters relating to the water-holding capacity. Colour traitsobserved before and after 48 h of storage generally were significantly and positively correlated, indicating that certaincolour characteristics are maintained even after 48 h of storage. There was not always a close relationship between thetraits of each muscles: significant correlations existed between the Triceps brachii and the Longissimus dorsi muscles,confirming the similar quality traits of their meat, while there were considerable differences between these muscles andthe Semitendinosus