Chitosan-Gold Nanoparticle Composites for Biomedical Application

The aim of this work is to synthesize chitosan-gold nanoparticles films by direct chemical reduction of HAuCl4 in a chitosan solution and to investigate the influence of gold nanoparticles concentration on the structure of films, conductivity and healing effect on mice skin after surgery. Results obtained have shown that new chitosan-gold nanoparticle-collagen bionananocomposites demonstrated better healing effect on the mice skin after surgery than control performed on commercial TheraFormTM material. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3540

Short-term microbial response after laboratory heating and ground mulching adition.

Fire alters soil organic matter inducing quantitative and qualitative changes that presumably will affect post-fire soil microbial recolonisation. Several studies have evidenced marked soil organic carbon reduction after moderate and high intensity fire, which limit the total recovery of microbial biomass during years. In order to evaluate the role of soil organic matter alteration in short-term microbial colonization process, we perform a preliminary experiment where unaltered soil from Sierra Nevada Natural Park was heated at 300 ºC during 20 minutes in a muffle furnace (H300) to simulate a medium-high intensity fire. After heating, soil samples were inoculated with unaltered fresh soil, rewetted at 55-65% of water holding capacity and incubated during 3 weeks. At the same time, unheated soil samples were incubated under the same conditions as control (UH). In addition, trying to partially alleviate soil organic matter fire-induced alterations effects on microbial colonization, we include an organic amendment treatment (M+). So, part of heated and unheated samples were amended with a mix of ground alfalfa:straw (1:1) and soil microbial abundance and activity were monitored together with soil organic matter changes. Heating process reduces total organic carbon content. After one week of incubation carbon content in heated samples was lower than the control one, in both, amended and un-amended samples. Microbial biomass and respiration were negatively affected by heating. Ground mulching addition increase microbial biomass and respiration but was not enough to reach control values during the whole study. Nevertheless, viable and cultivable fungi and bacteria showed different pattern. After two weeks of incubation both, fungi and bacteria were higher in heated samples. Ground mulching addition appears to stimulate fungal response in both, heated and unheated samples. Preliminary results of this experiment evidence the transcendence of soil organic matter fire-induced changes on microbial colonization process and the importance to determine several microbial parameters to obtain a more faithful conclusion about microbial response. The organic amendment appears to alleviate partially heated-induced damage, highlighting the positive stimulation on fungal abundance in both, heated and unheated samples.This research has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through research projects POSTFIRE (CGL2013-47862-C2-1-R) and GEOFIRE (CGL2012-38655-C04-01)Peer Reviewe

Correction: Porous monoliths synthesized via polymerization of styrene and divinyl benzene in nonaqueous deep-eutectic solvent-based HIPEs (RSC Advances (2015) 5 (23255-23260) DOI: 10.1039/C5RA02374B)

© 2018 The Royal Society of Chemistry. The authors regret that there was an error in the results and discussion section of the original article. On page 23257, the text read, The surfactant employed here was sorbitan monooleate . This should have read, The surfactant employed here was sorbitan stearate . The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers

Biological and chemical factors controlling the patchy distribution of soil water repellency among plant species in a Mediterranean semiarid forest

Natural soil water repellency is a property that has already been observed in forest soils and is characterized by its patchy distribution. There are many factors involved in its development. In this work, we have studied a large number of chemical and biological factors under the influence of different plant species (. Pinus halepensis, Quercus rotundifolia, Cistus albidus and Rosmarinus officinalis) to learn which has the greatest responsibility for its presence and persistence in the top-soil layer. We observed strong and significant correlations between ergosterol, glomalin related soil protein (GRSP), extractable lipids, soil organic matter (SOM) content and water repellency (WR). Our results suggested lipid fraction as the principal factor. Moreover, apart from Pinus, fungal biomass seems to be also related to the SOM content. Soil WR found under Pinus appears to be the most influenced by fungi. Quality of SOM, to be precise, lipid fraction could be responsible for WR and its relationship with fungal activity.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2010- 21670-C02-01, CGL2012-38655-C04-0

Gelatin–chitosan–PVA hydrogels and their application in agriculture

This work demonstrated the ability of a fabrication process in the preparation of gelatin-chitosan-PVA hydrogels for potential agricultural applications. The hydrogels showed a dense, tridimensional, interconnected and reticulated structure that was more evident in the hydrogel loaded with inulin. The hydrogels showed a water absorption capacity of ≤12 times its mass. FTIR and light microscopy demonstrated that the hydrogels were biodegradable. The percentage of degradation of hydrogels in inoculated soil was higher than in sterile soil using the soil burial test. Hydrogel loaded with inulin was found to be capable of inducing resistance in chili plants against Phytophthora capsici.ITESO, A.C

Reasoning with global assumptions in arithmetic modal logics

We establish a generic upper bound ExpTime for reasoning with global assumptions in coalgebraic modal logics. Unlike earlier results of this kind, we do not require a tractable set of tableau rules for the in- stance logics, so that the result applies to wider classes of logics. Examples are Presburger modal logic, which extends graded modal logic with linear inequalities over numbers of successors, and probabilistic modal logic with polynomial inequalities over probabilities. We establish the theoretical upper bound using a type elimination algorithm. We also provide a global caching algorithm that offers potential for practical reasoning

New evidences of the interplay between a turbidite canyon (Guadiaro canyon, NW Alboran Sea) and current-driven along slope processes

Workshop. Alboran Domain and Gibraltar Arc: Geological Research and Natural Hazards - El dominio de Alborán y el Arco de Gibraltar: Investigación geológica y riesgos naturales - Le Domaine Alboran et l'Arch de Gibraltar: Recherche géologique et risques naturels, 16-18 octubre 2019, Granada..-- 2 pages, 1 figureThe NW Alboran Sea contains geological evidences of the intricate interplay of downslope and alongslope features on one hand, and of the interaction of the Atlantic Waters flowing out and the intermediate Mediterranean Waters (MWs) flowing into the Strait of Gibraltar on the other hand.Both of these interactions are of high scientific relevance and have been studied separately before, but must also be considered together since both phenomena occur simultaneously. The work is based on data acquired during the FAUCES surveys, comprising high-resolution bathymetry and seismic profiles, in combination with a database comprising seismic profiles acquired since the 70s. The interaction between downslope and alongslope processes occurs on both margins of the Alboran Sea, but this interaction is especially complex in the Spanish margin, where the turbidite canyons cut the continuity of terraced plastered drifts. The interaction may vary between the dominance of downslope processes over the alongslope processes (i.e., Almeria turbidite system), the alternation between downslope and alongslope deposits (which is the case of the most recent lobe of the Guadiaro fan) and the influence of alongslope processes over downslope processes. The Guadiaro canyon provides an example of the last case: After a first phase in which the canyon was incised, during a second phase (Pliocene) downslope processes were dominant, as indicated by the chaotic facies infilling the canyon incision. A last phase (Quaternary) characterized by stratified discontinuous facies indicate a greater influence of contourite alongslope deposits. During the stage two and mostly during stage three, the lateral accretion of packages (LAPs) of stratified facies with NE progradation trend have been recognized on its SW side (right margin), progressively invading of the Guadiaro Palaeocanyon and affecting its current location and shape (Fig. 1). These findings have been confirmed by isochore maps, in which a depocentre of Quaternary age runs parallel to the canyon on its SW side. The oceanography of the study area is marked by the closeness to the Strait of Gibraltar, located to the west. The Mediterranean intermediate waters, comprising Western Intermediate Waters (WIW), Levantine Intermediate Waters (LIW) and the upper portion of Tyrrhenian Dense Waters (TDWi), flow along the Spanish margin towards the Strait. On the opposite, the Atlantic Waters enter forming a strong jet into the Mediterranean. These two groups of water masses are separated by a pycnocline, along which internal waves formed in the Camarinal Sill travel eastwards. The NE progradation of the LAPs affecting the Guadiaro canyon points to the much stronger effect of the Atlantic Jet and the eastwardtravelling internal waves over the intermediate MWs directed towards the Strait of Gibraltar. Ultimately, these findings may shed light on one of the reasons behind the sudden abandonment and obliteration of the Estepona Palaeocanyon after the BQD, possibly located where the Atlantic Jet and the internal waves cease their sediment transport towards the NE and where the weaker SW transport by the intermediate Mediterranean Waters become the only alongslope transport mechanismContribution from Project FAUCES - CTM2015-65461-C2-R (MINECO/FEDER