Influência de fatores ambientais na produção de uma planta aquática de emergente interesse para a indústria alimentar

Mestrado de dupla diplomação com a UTFPR, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do ParanáA intensificação da produção de alimentos devido ao crescimento da população humana tem gerado preocupações em relações aos impactos ambientais. Atrelados a estas atividades, a indústria alimentar tem enfrentado diversos desafios para encontrar equilíbrio entre produção e sustentabilidade. Uma das formas de redução da pegada ecológica do planeta é a busca de modos de produção de alimentos com base em proteínas que sejam ambientalmente menos agressivas, sendo que a produção destes nutrientes com base animal, lideram os principais impactos nas três grandes esferas do ambiente, água, solo e ar. Como alternativa têm sido estudadas as proteínas de origem vegetal, sendo que atualmente já existe uma diversidade de plantas usadas como fonte de proteína, contudo muitas continuam a representar altos impactos ambientais, além de serem sensíveis a alterações climáticas. Neste trabalho, plantas aquáticas da espécie Lemna minor foram estudadas preliminarmente como fontes de proteínas para a indústria alimentar, pois apresentam um rápido crescimento, alto teor de proteína em peso seco, resistência a ambientes perturbados, e são comestíveis. Foram testados diferentes fotoperíodos (4, 8, e 12 h de luz) e diferentes valores de pH (6,5 e 9,5) para entender a resposta da planta em diferentes condições ambientais, a nível da cor, da planta, da atividade antioxidante e da quantidade de proteína bruta. As plantas apresentaram um teor de proteínas entre 10 a 33%, tendo sido observada a maior produção em condições de pH 6,5 (33%) e fotoperíodo de 8hs (23%). Em relação à cor, o pH 6,5 revelou um verde mais intenso enquanto o fotoperíodo de 8 horas foi aquele que mostrou um tom mais intenso. Em relação à atividade antioxidante, o pH mais agressivo (9,5) mostrou uma maior atividade antioxidante, enquanto o fotoperíodo com melhor potencial antioxidante foi o de quatro horas. Pode concluir-se que a Lemna minor é uma planta que se consegue adaptar a vários ambientes, mas que a produção de proteínas é sobretudo favorecida por condições de pH mais perto da neutralidade e um fotoperíodo de 8 horas de luz.The intensification of food production due to human population growth has raised concerns regarding environmental impacts. Linked to these activities, the food industry has faced several challenges in finding a balance between production and sustainability. One of the ways to reduce the planet's ecological footprint is to search for ways to produce plant-based proteins that are less environmentally aggressive, since the animal-based production of these nutrients leads the main impacts on the three major spheres of the environment, water, soil and air. As an alternative, proteins of plant origin have been studied, and currently there is already a diversity of plants used as a source of protein, however many continue to represent high environmental impacts, in addition to being sensitive to climate change. For this reason, plants resistant to disturbed environments should be studied, with aquatic plants being an alternative that should be considered. In this work, aquatic plants of the Lemna minor species were preliminarily studied as sources of protein for the food industry, as they have fast growth, high protein content in dry weight, resistance to disturbed environments, and are edible. Different photoperiods (4, 8, and 12 hours of light) and different pH values (6.5 and 9.5) were tested to understand the plant's response in terms of external color, antioxidant activity and amount of crude protein. The plants showed a protein content between 10 and 33%, with the highest production at pH 6.5 (33%) and photoperiod of 8 hours (23%). Regarding color, pH 6.5 revealed a more intense green while the 8-hour photoperiod showed a more vivid tone. Regarding antioxidant activity, the most aggressive pH (9.5) showed greater antioxidant activity, while the photoperiod with better antioxidant activity was the one with 4 hours of light. It can be concluded that Lemna minor is a plant that can adapt to various environments, but that protein production is mainly favored by pH conditions closer to neutrality and a photoperiod of 8 hours of light

Indicadores e índices de calidad en suelos rojos bajo sistemas naturales y cultivados

Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron: determinar indicadores de calidad de suelo, desarrollar índices funcionales y aplicar índices utilizados en la bibliografía, a fin de evaluar su sensibilidad para detectar los cambios producidos por el desmonte y posterior uso agrícola en Oxisoles del departamento de Oberá (Misiones). Se empleó un diseño completamente al azar, con tres tratamientos: Selva (S), cultivo de maíz con labranza convencional (Zea mays L.) (M) y cultivo de Té (Camellia sinensis L.) (T). Se muestrearon 12 lotes por tratamiento a 0-0,10; 0,10-0,20 y 0,20-0,30 m. Las variables evaluadas fueron: respiración (RES), densidad aparente (Da), textura, pH, materia orgánica total (MO) y particulada (MOP), nitrógeno total (Nt) y potencialmente mineralizable (NPM). Se determinaron los índices: MOP/MO, NPM/Nt, NPM/MOP, MO/Li+Arc, MOP/RES y las relaciones de estratificación del carbono orgánico del suelo (COSr1, COSr2) y del potencial de mineralización del nitrógeno (NPMr1, NPMr2). Los resultados se analizaron mediante ANOVA, Test LSD (p < 0,05), y correlación de Pearson. Los indicadores: Da, RES, MO, Nt, y NPM y los índices NPM/Nt, MO/Li+Arc, NPM/MOP, IRC, IMC, COSr1, COSr2, permitieron diferenciar suelos bajo sistemas naturales de cultivados. La Da, la RES y el índice COSr2 resultaron más sensibles, diferenciando también sistemas agrícolas: cultivo perenne de anual, indicando a este último como el más degradante. Si bien resultan necesarias más investigaciones, estos resultados indicarían que suelos de alta calidad, presentarían un índice de estratificación COSr1 >2 y un COSr2 >1,5 por lo que valores menores indicarían pérdida de calidad. El índice MOP/RES desarrollado detectó diferencias en la calidad de MOP y su ciclado, resultando los suelos vírgenes y bajo cultivo perenne, sin remoción de suelo (T), con un ciclado más lento que los suelos bajo cultivo anual (M).The objectives of this study were to determine soil quality (SQ) indicators, develop proper soil quality indices and apply the indices from the literature so as to assess their sensitivity in detecting the SQ changes caused by deforestation and agricultural use in Oxisols at Oberá (Misiones), where rainforests have been removed and replaced with annual and perennial crops. The experimental design was completely randomized with three treatments: tropical forest (S), corn crop under conventional tillage (Zea Mays L.) (M) and tea crop (Camellia sinensis L.) (T). Twelve plots were sampled from each treatment at 0-0,10; 0,10-0,20 and 0,20-0,30 m depths. The following variables were evaluated on the soil samples: respiration (RES), bulk density (Da), texture, pH, organic matter (MO), particulate organic matter (MOP), total nitrogen (Nt), and potentially mineralizable nitrogen (NPM). The following indices were determined: MOP/MO, NPM/Nt, NPM/MOP, MO/Li+Arc, MOP/RES, and the stratification ratios of soil organic carbon (COSr1, COSr2) and of nitrogen mineralization potential (NPMr1, NPMr2). All data were analyzed through ANOVA, means were separated by the LSD Test (p < 0,05), and a Pearson correlation was performed. Soil indicators Da, RES, MO, Nt and NPM, and indices NPM/Nt, MO/Li+Arc, NPM/MOP, IRC, IMC, COSr1 and COSr2 revealed statistical differences between soils under natural systems and cultivated soils. Indicators Da and RES, and index COSr2 turned out to be more sensitive; they showed differences between perennial and annual cropping systems, the latter causing higher soil degradation. Even though further research is needed, the results obtained from this study would indicate that high quality soils have a stratification ratio COSr1 >2 and COSr2 >1,5; lower values would therefore suggest loss of SQ. The elaborated ratio MOP/RES showed differences in MOP quality and its cycling, indicating that in virgin soils and perennial cropping systems without removal of soil (T), the cycling is slower than in soils under annual crops (M)

Hybrids of Cinchona Alkaloids and Bile Acids as Antiparasitic Agents against Trypanosoma cruzi

The current chemotherapy of Chagas disease needs to be urgently improved. With this aim, a series of 16 hybrids of Cinchona alkaloids and bile acids were prepared by functionalization at position C-2 of the quinoline nucleus by a radical attack of a norcholane substituent via a Barton Zard decarboxylation reaction. The antitrypanosomal activity of the hybrids was tested on different stages and strains of T. cruzi. In particular, eight out of 16 hybrids presented an IC50 ≤1 μg/mL against trypomastigotes of the CL Brener strain and/or a selectivity index higher than 10. These promising hybrids yielded similar results when tested on trypomastigotes from the RA strain of T. cruzi (discrete typing unit?DTU?VI). Surprisingly, trypomastigotes of the Y strain (DTU II) were more resistant to benznidazole and to most of the hybrids than those of the CL Brener and RA strains. However, the peracetylated and non-acetylated forms of the cinchonine/chenodeoxycholic bile acid conjugate 4f and 5f were the most trypanocidal hybrids against Y strain trypomastigotes, with IC50 values of 0.5 and 0.65 μg/mL, respectively. More importantly, promising results were observed in invasion assays using the Y strain, where hybrids 5f and 4f induced a significant reduction in intracellular amastigotes and on the release of trypomastigotes from infected cells.Fil: Musikant, Alejandro Daniel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; ArgentinaFil: Lavarrier, Aurelie. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Bernal Gimenez, Diana Maria. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ferri, Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Palermo, Jorge Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Edreira, Martin Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. University of Pittsburgh; Estados Unido

Active Fragments from Pro- and Antiapoptotic BCL-2 Proteins Have Distinct Membrane Behavior Reflecting Their Functional Divergence

BACKGROUND: The BCL-2 family of proteins includes pro- and antiapoptotic members acting by controlling the permeabilization of mitochondria. Although the association of these proteins with the outer mitochondrial membrane is crucial for their function, little is known about the characteristics of this interaction. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we followed a reductionist approach to clarify to what extent membrane-active regions of homologous BCL-2 family proteins contribute to their functional divergence. Using isolated mitochondria as well as model lipid Langmuir monolayers coupled with Brewster Angle Microscopy, we explored systematically and comparatively the membrane activity and membrane-peptide interactions of fragments derived from the central helical hairpin of BAX, BCL-xL and BID. The results show a connection between the differing abilities of the assayed peptide fragments to contact, insert, destabilize and porate membranes and the activity of their cognate proteins in programmed cell death. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: BCL-2 family-derived pore-forming helices thus represent structurally analogous, but functionally dissimilar membrane domains

Multi-Criteria Decision Model based on AHP and Linguistic Information

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is a usual activity among organisations and decisions related to people’s activities. Due to the complexity of considering multiple criteria, to select an alternative is a non-trivial task. From operative levels to managerial ones, MCDA is implemented by using several (formal and informal) techniques. Two useful techniques that help to make a decision are the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and MCDA models based on Linguistic Information (LI). This work describes a MCDA framework that combines the mentioned techniques in order to provide more confidence in the decision making process. To test the proposed model, framework was used to select the adequate network configuration to improve quality of service (QoS). Finally, the framework’s outputs were compared to real experts’ opinions obtaining satisfactory results. Keywords: IPv6 deployment, IPv6 transition solutions, performance analysis, DNS64, TOTD, security, cache poisoning attack, random permutation.Facultad de Informátic

Synthesis, characterization and kinetic study of silver and gold nanoparticles produced by the archaeon Haloferax volcanii

Aims: To evaluate the ability of the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii to produce Ag and Au nanoparticles (NPs) and to characterize the obtained material in order to find relevant properties for future potential applications. Methods and Results: Nanoparticles were produced by incubating H. volcanii cells with the corresponding metal salt. In the presence of precursor salts, cultures evidenced a colour change associated to the formation of metallic nanostructures with plasmonic bands located in the visible range of the spectrum. X-ray fluorescence analysis confirmed the presence of Ag and Au in the NPs which were spherical, with average sizes of 25 nmol l−1 (Ag) and 10 nmol l−1 (Au), as determined by electronic microscopy. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy indicated that both types of NPs showed a stable protein capping. Ag NPs evidenced antibacterial activity and Au NPs improved the specificity of polymerase chain reaction reactions. Au and Ag NPs were able to reduce 4-nitrophenol when incubated with NaBH4. Conclusions: Haloferax volcanii is able to synthesize metallic NPs with interesting properties for technological applications. Significance and Impact of the Study: Our data demonstrate the ability of H. volcanii to synthesize metal NPs and constitutes a solid starting point to deepen the study and explore novel applications.Fil: Costa, Mariana Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Álvarez Cerimedo, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Urquiza, Delia Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Ayude, María Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Hoppe, Cristina Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Fasce, Diana Patricia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: de Castro, Rosana Esther. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Gimenez, Maria Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas; Argentin

Treatment of Complex Cutaneous Leishmaniasis with Liposomal Amphotericin B

Leishmania; Anfotericina B liposomal; Terapia sistémicaLeishmania; Liposomal amphotericin B; Systemic therapyLeishmania; Amfotericina B liposomal; Teràpia sistèmicaBackground: There is no consensus for the best treatment of complex cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). We aimed to describe a cohort of CL, focusing on liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) treatment outcome. Methods: We performed a retrospective study in Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (Barcelona, Spain). All patients with parasitologically proven CL diagnosed from 2012 to 2018 were included. Results: The analysis included 41 patients with CL. The median age was 39 years (IQR 12- 66); 12 (29%) were children, and 29 (71%) were men. Regarding treatment, 24 (59%) received local treatment, whereas 17 (41%) had complex CL and were offered intravenous systemic treatment. Sixteen patients received L-AmB; eight (50%) had adverse events, and three (19%) discontinued treatment for safety reasons. All cases were considered cured within the first year post-treatment. Conclusions: L-AmB for complex CL showed no treatment failures, offering an alternative treatment option for patients with complex CL. Clinicians should pay close attention to the potential adverse events of L-AmB and adopt an active drug safety surveillance scheme to rapidly detect reversible side effects.This research received no external funding

El aprendizaje de la matemática a partir de los errores

Con el objetivo de indagar y disminuir las dificultades de los alumnos ingresantes a las carreras de Ingeniería de la Facultad Regional Paraná de la Universidad Tecnológica Nacional y los ingresantes a la Licenciatura en Sistemas de Información de la Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología de la UADER, se analizan los errores que los alumnos cometen en los exámenes de ingreso y se promueve la búsqueda de estrategias y metodologías de enseñanza que ayuden a corregir y a construir el aprendizaje de la matemática a partir de los errores. Cuando hablamos de errores hacemos referencia a los conocimientos que los jóvenes han aprendido con un cierto grado de inexactitud. Esto conduce a investigar las diferentes formas de indagar sobre las didácticas y técnicas en la metodología de la enseñanza- aprendizaje de la matemática, a fin de revertir lo que el alumno trae como un conocimiento inmerso, sólido y válido frente a la detección de estos errores cognitivos. Mediante un análisis cuali-cuantitativo de los errores cometidos por los alumnos, se los clasifica de acuerdo a tipologías resultantes de investigaciones consolidadas y se analizan las técnicas de enseñanza-aprendizaje más adecuadas para resolver las situaciones planteadas

Quantifying evidence toward pathogenicity for rare phenotypes: The case of succinate dehydrogenase genes, SDHB and SDHD.

PURPOSE: The weight of the evidence to attach to observation of a novel rare missense variant in SDHB or SDHD in individuals with the rare neuroendocrine tumors, pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PCC/PGL), is uncertain. METHODS: We compared the frequency of SDHB and SDHD very rare missense variants (VRMVs) in 6328 and 5847 cases of PCC/PGL, respectively, with that of population controls to generate a pan-gene VRMV likelihood ratio (LR). Via windowing analysis, we measured regional enrichments of VRMVs to calculate the domain-specific VRMV-LR (DS-VRMV-LR). We also calculated subphenotypic LRs for variant pathogenicity for various clinical, histologic, and molecular features. RESULTS: We estimated the pan-gene VRMV-LR to be 76.2 (54.8-105.9) for SDHB and 14.8 (8.7-25.0) for SDHD. Clustering analysis revealed an SDHB enriched region (ɑɑ 177-260, P = .001) for which the DS-VRMV-LR was 127.2 (64.9-249.4) and an SDHD enriched region (ɑɑ 70-114, P = .000003) for which the DS-VRMV-LR was 33.9 (14.8-77.8). Subphenotypic LRs exceeded 6 for invasive disease (SDHB), head-and-neck disease (SDHD), multiple tumors (SDHD), family history of PCC/PGL, loss of SDHB staining on immunohistochemistry, and succinate-to-fumarate ratio >97 (SDHB, SDHD). CONCLUSION: Using methodology generalizable to other gene-phenotype dyads, the LRs relating to rarity and phenotypic specificity for a single observation in PCC/PGL of a SDHB/SDHD VRMV can afford substantial evidence toward pathogenicity