Determinación de los parámetros de solubilidad de Hansen para el aceite de caña de azúcar. Uso del etanol para la refinación de la cera de caña de azúcar

Currently, the refining of sugarcane wax is carried out with 95% v/v ethanol as solvent. This process has a high rate of ethanol consumption thus, the main objective of this work was to corroborate the feasibility of 95% v/v ethanol as a solvent in the refining of sugarcane wax. The suitability of its performance over other organic solvents was evaluated through the relative energy difference (RED) determined from Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs) of sugarcane oil, which were calculated using HSPiP software. HSPs turned out to be δD = 16.24 MPa½, δP = 3.21 MPa½ and δH = 10.34 MPa½, similar to those reported for pine resin and castor oil. The best solvent was 1-decanol. 95% v/v ethanol turned out to be a bad solvent. Absolute ethanol had a RED value of 0.993, which made it a better candidate since it could reduce consumption rates, and constituted an eco-friendly solvent produced in Cuba for the refining process.La refinación de la cera cruda de caña se realiza con etanol a 95% v/v, incurriendo en altos índices de consumo, por lo que el objetivo principal de este trabajo es determinar si el etanol a 95% v/v es un solvente adecuado. Su uso respecto a otros solventes orgánicos es evaluado por la diferencia de energía relativa (RED) determinada a partir de los parámetros de solubilidad de Hansen (HSPs), se calcularon usando el programa HSPiP. Los HSPs fueron δD = 16.24 MPa½, δP = 3.21 MPa½ and δH = 10.34 MPa ½, siendo similares a los reportados para la resina de pino y el aceite de ricino. El mejor solvente fue 1-decanol, el etanol del 95% v/v fue un mal solvente; el etanol absoluto con un RED= 0.993 es un mejor candidato, ya que podría reducir las tasas de consumo, manteniendo un solvente ecológico y producido en Cuba para el proceso de refinación

Aerófonos y mitología caribeña

El trabajo aborda la musicalidad de los aborígenes prehispánicos, aspecto muy reiterado en las Crónicas de Indias por los europeos y que han quedado reflejadas en las obras escritas por: Fernando de Oviedo, Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, Pedro Mártir de Anglería, y Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, que de manera irresoluta nos posibilitan explicar las prácticas organológicas de estas sociedades pretéritas. También se refleja la asociación de instrumentos de soplo con el sistema simbólico e iconográfico en el ámbito caribeño lo cual nos conduce a dialogar con un mundo mitológico conectado de manera indivisible con elementos de la naturaleza

Yield Components in Annual Ryegrass and Oats Grown in Association and Monoculture

Earliness of oats and higher growth rate of annual ryegrass later in the season explain the higher forage yield of annual ryegrass+oats association over monocultures (Améndola & Morales, 1997). However, changes in yield components of the species grown in association compared to monoculture have not been explored. This study aimed to determine leaf, stem and dead matter yield in annual ryegrass and oats when grown in association and monoculture at different nitrogen (N) levels

Extreme summer temperatures in Iberia: health impacts and associated synoptic conditions

This paper examines the effect of extreme summer temperatures on daily mortality in two large cities of Iberia: Lisbon (Portugal) and Madrid (Spain). Daily mortality and meteorological variables are analysed using the same methodology based on Box-Jenkins models. Results reveal that in both cases there is a triggering effect on mortality when maximum daily temperature exceeds a given threshold (34°C in Lisbon and 36°C in Madrid). The impact of most intense heat events is very similar for both cities, with significant mortality values occurring up to 3 days after the temperature threshold has been surpassed. This impact is measured as the percentual increase of mortality associated to a 1°C increase above the threshold temperature. In this respect, Lisbon shows a higher impact, 31%, as compared with Madrid at 21%. The difference can be attributed to demographic and socio-economic factors. Furthermore, the longer life span of Iberian women is critical to explain why, in both cities, females are more susceptible than males to heat effects, with an almost double mortality impact value. <P style="line-height: 20px;"> The analysis of Sea Level Pressure (SLP), 500hPa geopotential height and temperature fields reveals that, despite being relatively close to each other, Lisbon and Madrid have relatively different synoptic circulation anomalies associated with their respective extreme summer temperature days. The SLP field reveals higher anomalies for Lisbon, but extending over a smaller area. Extreme values in Madrid seem to require a more western location of the Azores High, embracing a greater area over Europe, even if it is not as deep as for Lisbon. The origin of the hot and dry air masses that usually lead to extreme heat days in both cities is located in Northern Africa. However, while Madrid maxima require wind blowing directly from the south, transporting heat from Southern Spain and Northern Africa, Lisbon maxima occur under more easterly conditions, when Northern African air flows over the central Iberian plateau, which had been previously heated

Evidence for coseismic events of recurrent prehistoric deformation along the Alhama de Murcia fault, southeastern Spain

The Alhama de Murcia fault is a 85 km long oblique-slip fault, and is related to historical and instrumental seismic activity. A paleoseismic analysis of the Lorca-Totana sector of the fault containing MSK I=VIII historical earthquakes was made in order to identify and quantify its seismic potential. We present 1) the results of the neotectonic, structural and geomorphological analyses and, 2) the results of trenching. In the study area, the Alhama de Murcia fault forms a depressed corridor between two strands, the northwestern fault with morphological and structural features of a reverse component of slip, bounding the La Tercia range to the South, and the southeastern fault strand with evidence of sinistral oblique strike-slip movement. The offset along this latter fault trapped the sediments in transit from the La Tercia range towards the Guadalentín depression. The most recent of these sediments are arranged in three generations of alluvial fans and terraces. The first two trenches were dug in the most recent sediments across the southeastern fault strand. The results indicate a coseismic reverse fault deformation that involved the sedimentary sequence up to the intermediate alluvial fan and the Holocene terrace deposits. The sedimentary evolution observed in the trenches suggests an event of temporary damming of the Colmenar creek drainage to the South due to uplifting of the hanging wall during coseismic activation of the fault. Trench, structural and sedimentological features provide evidence of at least three coseismic events, which occurred after 125,000yr. The minimum vertical slip rate along the fault is 0.06mm/yr and the average recurrence period should not exceed 40,000yr in  accordance with the results obtained by fan topographic profiling. Further absolute dating is ongoing to constrain these estimates.

Uses of Native Plant Species of a Communal Rangeland within ‘Sierra de Huautla’ Protected Area, México

Sustainability of communal rangelands has become a major concern at national and international levels because land use conflicts and associated social conflicts allows for over-utilization of selected species making a high pressure on them and given away their places to species with no use at all becoming lands degraded and unproductive. The objective of the study was to determine floristic composition and native plant uses by local peasants. The range surface is of 4262 ha, belongs to the communal land ‘El Limon’, in Tepalcingo, Morelos, Mexico, and it is within the Natural Reserve Area “Sierra de Huautla”. Native vegetation is mainly of deciduous shrubs, high temperatures year round and a rainy season of 4 months. Local peasants were surveyed on uses of the collected and previously identified plants. Number of species was 456, distributed in 266 and 76 botanical genders and families, respectively. Of the species identified 66, 22 and 12% had one, two or more than two uses according to local peasants. Among uses: 59% of the species were used as forage, 8% eatable, 7% firewood or ornamental, 6% medical herb, lumber or other use 4 %, construction material 3 % and for resin or handcraft 1%. The range showed a very high plant biodiversity, this feature allows for a high resiliency toward human activities

Genomic Evolution of Two Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Strains from ST-2 Clones Isolated in 2000 and 2010 (ST-2_clon_2000 and ST-2_clon_2010)

Acinetobacter baumannii is a successful nosocomial pathogen due to its ability to persist in hospital environments by acquiring mobile elements such as transposons, plasmids, and phages. In this study, we compared two genomes of A. baumannii clinical strains isolated in 2000 (ST-2_clon_2000) and 2010 (ST-2_clon_2010) from GenBank project PRJNA308422

Evidence for coseismic events of recurrent prehistoric deformation along the Alhama de Murcia fault, southeastern Spain

The Alhama de Murcia fault is a 85 km long oblique-slip fault, and is related to historical and instrumental seismic activity. A paleoseismic analysis of the Lorca-Totana sector of the fault containing MSK I=VIII historical earthquakes was made in order to identify and quantify its seismic potential. We present 1) the results of the neotectonic, structural and geomorphological analyses and, 2) the results of trenching. In the study area, the Alhama de Murcia fault forms a depressed corridor between two strands, the northwestern fault with morphological and structural features of a reverse component of slip, bounding the La Tercia range to the South, and the southeastern fault strand with evidence of sinistral oblique strike-slip movement. The offset along this latter fault trapped the sediments in transit from the La Tercia range towards the Guadalentín depression. The most recent of these sediments are arranged in three generations of alluvial fans and terraces. The first two trenches were dug in the most recent sediments across the southeastern fault strand. The results indicate a coseismic reverse fault deformation that involved the sedimentary sequence up to the intermediate alluvial fan and the Holocene terrace deposits. The sedimentary evolution observed in the trenches suggests an event of temporary damming of the Colmenar creek drainage to the South due to uplifting of the hanging wall during coseismic activation of the fault. Trench, structural and sedimentological features provide evidence of at least three coseismic events, which occurred after 125,000 yr. The minimum vertical slip rate along the fault is 0.06 mm/yr and the average recurrence period should not exceed 40,000 yr in accordance with the results obtained by fan topographic profiling. Further absolute dating is ongoing to constrain these estimates.Se presentan los primeros resultados del estudio paleosísmico del sector Lorca-Totana (con terremotos históricos de I=VIII) de la falla de Alhama de Murcia, de deslizamiento direccional oblícuo sinestroso, para caracterizar su potencial sísmico. Esto incluye: 1) resultados del estudio neotectónico, estructural y geomorfológico y 2) primeros resultados obtenidos en trincheras. El área estudiada muestra dos zonas de falla, la noroeste, que limita la sierra de la Tercia, con morfología y estructuras típicas de movimiento inverso, y la sureste con evidencias de deslizamiento direccional sinestroso, separadas por un corredor deprimido. La actividad de estas fallas ha atrapado en el corredor gran cantidad de sedimentos en su transporte hacia la depresión del Guadalentín, los más recientes de los cuales se organizan en tres generaciones de abanicos aluviales y terrazas. Las dos trincheras se ex c avaron en los sedimentos de la generación intermedia de abanicos aluviales y en la de terrazas más recientes deformados por la falla sureste. Los primeros resultados indican deformación cosísmica con deslizamiento inverso. Se interpreta también un bloqueo temporal del drenaje hacia el sur de la rambla de El Colmenar debido al levantamiento del bloque superior de la falla en un proceso cosísmico. Se describen evidencias de hasta tres paleoterremotos que, en un primer análisis sin datos de edad absoluta, habrían tenido lugar posteriormente a 125.000 años. La velocidad de deslizamiento no sería inferior a 0,06 mm/a y el período de recurrencia no sería mayor a 40.000 años. Estos primeros datos se podrán ajustar mediante dataciones absolutas que están en curso

Malnutrition as cause and consequence of sensory distorsiones

La malnutrición es una enfermedad provocada por un exceso o defecto en el consumo o aprovechamiento de los nutrientes. Habitualmente, se utiliza este término para referirse a la desnutrición, es decir, a un trastorno derivado del déficit de algún macro y o micronutrientes. Las alteraciones quimiosensoriales pueden reducir de forma importante la alimentación en el individuo, por lo que es importante verificar que el aporte de nutrientes y, de forma concreta, de algunos micronutrientes, sea suficiente, ya que alguno de ellos, como el zinc, desempeñan un papel primordial en las alteraciones del gusto y del olfato. Además, el paciente malnutrido o con una alimentación que excluya gran número de alimentos, tiene mayor riesgo de presentar déficits de dichos micronutrientes. Diversas enfermedades, tanto agudas como crónicas, se asocian a alteraciones de la percepción sensorial, y pueden llegar a afectar a más del 50% de las personas mayores de 65 años. Los efectos provocados por los fármacos y algunos tratamientos como la quimioterapia y la radioterapia, juegan también un papel muy importante en la distorsión sensorial y en la incidencia de malnutriciónMalnutrition is a pathological condition caused by an excess or deficiency in the consumption or the use of the nutrients. Usually this term refers to a lack of adequate nourishment, a disorder resulting from a deficiency of some macro and/or micronutrients. Chemo-sensory alterations can significantly reduce food choice and intake, so it is very important to verify that the supply of nutrients and specifically of some micronutrients are sufficient. Some of them, such as “zinc”, play a very important role in alterations in the sense of taste and smell. In addition malnutrition patients or a poorly-balanced diet or faulty utilization of foods have increased the risk of deficiencies in these micronutrients. Several types of diseases, both acute and chronic ones, are associated with sensory perception and can affect more than 50% of people over 65 years old. The effects caused by drugs and some treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy play an important role in sensory distortion and the incidence of malnutritio