Rating the Raters: Evaluating how ESG Rating Agencies Integrate Sustainability Principles

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rating agencies, acting as relevant financial market actors, should take a stand on working towards achieving a more sustainable development. In this context, the objective of this paper is, on the one hand, to understand how criteria used by ESG rating agencies in their assessment processes have evolved over the last ten years and, on the other hand, to analyze whether ESG rating agencies are contributing to fostering sustainable development by the inclusion of sustainability principles into their assessment processes and practices according to the ESG criteria. This research is based on a comparative descriptive analysis of the public information provided by the most representative ESG rating and information provider agencies in the financial market in two periods: 2008 and 2018. The findings show that ESG rating agencies have integrated new criteria into their assessment models to measure corporate performance more accurately and robustly in order to respond to new global challenges. However, a deep analysis of the criteria also shows that ESG rating agencies do not fully integrate sustainability principles into the corporate sustainability assessment process

Evaluation and characterization of nutritional, microbiological and sensory properties of beet greens

Growing interest of consumers on incorporate healthy foods into their diets has triggered extensive research in finding and developing new food products that meet their expectations. Leaves of beet plants are an alternative source of appreciable value albeit they are usually discarded at the time of beetroot harvest. The aim of this study was to evaluate and characterize the nutritional, microbiological and sensory quality of beet greens as a prelude to the development of new products from them. Beet greens represents approximately 50% of harvested material. The proximate composition of leaves and its anti-nutritional factors (oxalate, phytates and tanins) were in the range of commonly consumed leafy vegetables, standing out for its high contents of protein, fat, fiber and iron and low content of phytates and tanins. Contents of phytochemical compounds, especially carotenoids and betalains, were higher than those reported for commonly consumed leafy vegetables, resulting in a high antioxidant potential. Microbiological counts were in the typical range for fresh consumed leafy vegetables while, sensorial quality resulted adequate with highly appreciated characteristics in beet greens such as red veins and green blade. This work sets the basis for several recovery possibilities such as development of a minimally processed product for fresh consumption and the extraction of phytochemical compounds from this resource.Fil: Fernandez, María Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; ArgentinaFil: Jagus, Rosa Juana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; ArgentinaFil: Agüero, Maria Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; Argentin

Oligodendrocyte differentiation and signaling after transferrin internalization: a mechanism of action

Oligodendrocytes are the cells producing the myelin membrane around the axons in the central nervous system and, although apotransferrin (aTf) is required for oligodendrocyte differentiation, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Fyn tyrosine kinase, a member of the Src family of proteins, has been shown to play an important role in myelination by up-regulating the expression of myelin basic protein; however, a molecular link between aTf and Fyn kinase signaling pathway during oligodendrocytes differentiation has not been established yet. Our aim was to investigate whether Fyn kinase, MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways are required for aTf-stimulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation and also to determine if the transferrin receptor is involved in these mechanisms. Treatment of primary cultures of oligodendroglial precursor cells with aTf leads to Fyn kinase activation by a mechanism that involves transferrin receptor. In turn, Fyn kinase activation promotes MEK-mediated transient phosphorylation of ERK1/2. On the other hand, transferrin receptor internalization also produces rapid and sustained activation of Akt, which involves phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activation. Finally, aTf incorporated through clathrin-mediated endocytosis increases myelin basic protein, F3-contactin and β-tubulin through Fyn/MEK/ERK pathways, as well as an activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway. Our results also demonstrate that the activation of the pathways necessary for oligodendroglial precursor cell maturation is dependent on AP2 recruitment onto the plasma membrane for clathrin-mediated endocytosis of transferrin receptor.Fil: Perez, Maria Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológicas; Argentina; Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquimica. Departamento de Quimica Biologica. Cátedra de Química Biológica Patológica; Argentina;Fil: Fernandez, Natalia Cristina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Química Medicinal; Argentina;Fil: Pasquini, Juana Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológicas; Argentina

Development of an aqueous ultrasound‐assisted extraction process of bioactive compounds from beet leaves: A proposal for reducing losses and increasing biomass utilisation

BACKGROUND: Red beet plants are cultivated worldwide for the consumption of their roots, generating large amounts of unexploited by-products. In particular, beet leaves (BLs) represent about 50% of the whole plant and are usually discarded as waste. This constitutes not only an economic issue, since multiple resources invested in the production will be wasted, but also an environmental problem because of the pollution associated with their disposal. However, BLs comprise an important source of functional compounds (polyphenols and betalains) that could be recovered from the raw material, representing a sustainable solution for the underutilization of this by-product. This study proposes the recovery of polyphenols and betalains using an aqueous ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) process at different powers (35, 50, and 100 W) that was characterized and optimized. RESULTS: UAE significantly enhanced the recovery of bioactive compounds and shortened the time required for extraction in comparison with traditional macerations (35 < 50 < 100 W). During UAE, the temperature of the systems increased as a function of the power applied, favouring the recovery of these phytochemicals. Additionally, a Box–Behnken design and response surface methodology were employed to optimize UAE conditions (90 W ultrasound power, 1:20 solid:liquid ratio, 16 min extraction time), under which the yields were 14.9 mg g−1 (polyphenols), 949.1 μg g−1 (betaxanthins), and 562.2 μg g−1 (betacyanins), consistent with the values predicted by the models. CONCLUSION: This study enabled the development of a green-solvent UAE process that constitutes an effective post-harvest by-products strategy to minimize losses and increase biomass utilization through the recovery of bioactive compounds from BLs, promoting sustainability in the agri-food chain.Fil: Nutter, Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez, María Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; ArgentinaFil: Jagus, Rosa Juana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; ArgentinaFil: Agüero, María Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; Argentin

El clima laboral en el área administrativa de la Dirección de Protección Especial de una entidad pública en Lima, período 2018.

Para el desarrollo del trabajo de investigación se tomó como antecedentes los trabajos nacionales de diversos autores tales como Chávez de la Universidad Inca Garcilaso de la Vega y Castillo de la Universidad Pontifica Universidad Católica del Perú. A nivel internacional se hizo referencia de trabajos provenientes de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, España y de la Universidad Central del Ecuador, entre otros. El objetivo del trabajo de tesis fue identificar las características del clima laboral y sus componentes: la motivación, el comportamiento grupal y el ambiente físico en el área administrativa de la Dirección de Protección Especial del Ministerio de la Mujer y Poblaciones Vulnerables en Lima, durante el periodo 2018. La metodología de investigación es de enfoque descriptivo con un diseño no experimental de alcance transversal o transeccional. En las conclusiones de la investigación se determinó la necesidad de una revisión integral de las responsabilidades y una mejora en el diseño de puestos de trabajo el cual debe ser dinámico y adaptable a las nuevas responsabilidades de los trabajadores. Los contratos de trabajo deberían incluir diversas escalas de bonificaciones y premios por desempeño, lo cual influiría positivamente en la motivación de los trabajadores.For the development of the research work, the national works of various authors such as Chávez from the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega University and Castillo from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru were taken as background. At the international level, reference was made to works from the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain and the Central University of Ecuador, among others. The objective of the thesis work was to identify the characteristics of the work environment and its components: motivation, group behavior and the physical environment in the administrative area of the Special Protection Directorate of the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations in Lima, during the period 2018. The research methodology is of a descriptive approach with a nonexperimental design of cross-sectional or transectional scope. In the conclusions of the investigation, the need for a comprehensive review of responsibilities and an improvement in the design of jobs was determined, which must be dynamic and adaptable to the new responsibilities of the workers. Employment contracts should include various scales of bonuses and awards for performance, which would positively influence the motivation of workers.RímacInnovación en gestión, administración pública y privad

Fruit and vegetable smoothies preservation with natural antimicrobials for the assurance of safety and quality

Current consumption trends indicate a clear increased interest in more natural, nutritious and healthier foods. Accordingly, natural fruits and vegetables (F&V) based beverages (juices, smoothies) companies showed great growth, since perceived as a practical way of ingesting the F&V nutrients and bioactives. However, when untreated, these products have a short shelf-life, mainly due to microbial spoilage. The combination of natural antimicrobials for their preservation constitutes an option in line with consumers’ requirements. This study aims to evaluate different combinations of natural antimicrobials, nisin, natamycin, green tea extract (GTE) and citric acid, to preserve the quality of a mixed F&V smoothie, extending their shelf-life and ensuring their safety. The results obtained suggest that a treatment with nisin 12.5 mg/kg natamycin 200 mg/kg and citric acid (until pH 3.5) could achieve a shelf-life extension of 14 d, a product with great nutritional and microbiological quality until 28 d of storage at 5 °C. Moreover, this treatment would allow controlling a 6 log CFU/mL Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Furthermore, if GTE (0.2%) is added to that combination, a product with fortified antioxidant properties (more than 10 times higher than control) is achieved, fulfilling the requirements of the most demanding natural products consumers.Fil: Nieva, S. G.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Jagus, Rosa Juana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; ArgentinaFil: Agüero, Maria Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez, María Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; Argentin

Functional characterization of 3-ketosteroid 9 alpha-hydroxylases in Rhodococcus ruber strain chol-4

The 3-Ketosteroid-9 alpha-Hydroxylase, also known as KshAB [androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione, NADH:oxygen oxidoreductase (9 alpha-hydroxylating); EC 1.14.13.142)], is a key enzyme in the general scheme of the bacterial steroid catabolism in combination with a 3-ketosteroid-Delta(1)-dehydrogenase activity (KstD), being both responsible of the steroid nucleus (rings A/B) breakage. KshAB initiates the opening of the steroid ring by the 9 alpha-hydroxylation of the C9 carbon of 4-ene-3-oxosteroids (e.g. AD) or 1,4-diene-3-oxosteroids (e.g. ADD), transforming them into 9 alpha-hydroxy-4-androsten-3,17-dione (9OHAD) or 9 alpha-hydroxy-1,4-androstadiene-3,17-dione (9OHADD), respectively.The redundancy of these enzymes in the actinobacterial genomes results in a serious difficulty for metabolic engineering this catabolic pathway to obtain intermediates of industrial interest.In this work, we have identified three homologous kshA genes and one kshB gen in different genomic regions of R. ruber strain Choi-4. We present a set of data that helps to understand their specific roles in this strain, including: i) description of the KshAB enzymes ii) construction and characterization of Delta kshB and single, double and triple Delta kshA mutants in R. ruber iii) growth studies of the above strains on different substrates and iv) genetic complementation and biotransformation assays with those strains. Our results show that KshA2 isoform is needed for the degradation of steroid substrates with short side chain, while KshA3 works on those molecules with longer side chains. KshA1 is a more versatile enzyme related to the cholic acid catabolism, although it also collaborates with KshA2 or KshA3 activities in the catabolism of steroids. Accordingly to what it is described for other Rhodococcus strains, our results also suggest that the side chain degradation is KshAB-independent.</p

Changes in bioaccessibility, polyphenol profile and antioxidant potential of flours obtained from persimmon fruit (Diospyros kaki) co-products during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion

The aim was to evaluate (i) the phenol and flavonoid recovery and bioaccessibility indexes, (ii) the stability of individual polyphenolic compounds and (iii) the antioxidant activity of persimmon flours (cultivars ‘Rojo Brillante’ and ‘Triumph’) during the in vitro digestion. The recovery index for phenolic and flavonoid content was dependent on flour type and digestion phase. After the dialysis phase, the bioaccessibility for phenolic compounds from both flours was similar; for flavonoids it was higher in ‘Triumph’ than ‘Rojo Brillante’ flour. After in vitro digestion, 13 polyphenolic compounds were detected in both flours, of which only six were detected in the intestinal phase. Their antioxidant activity (ABTS%+, FRAP and DPPH) decreased after intestinal phase, while their chelating activity (FIC assay) increased in both flours. So, persimmon flours could be included in the formulation of foods to improve either their scarcity of bioactive compounds or an unbalanced nutritional composition

Total and Partial Fat Replacement by Gelled Emulsion (Hemp Oil and Buckwheat Flour) and Its Impact on the Chemical, Technological and Sensory Properties of Frankfurters

A gelled emulsion (GE) prepared with hemp oil and buckwheat flour was used to replace pork back fat in frankfurters. Five different formulations were prepared: control (with 35% pork back fat—SC), and the following four to achieve 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% pork back fat substitution by GE (S1, S2, S3, and S4, respectively). Nutritional, technological, and sensorial characteristics of frankfurters were evaluated. Sausages containing GE presented a lower total fat content with a higher amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, increased omega 3 content, and reduced saturated fat by up to 55%. The incorporation of GE did not significantly modify technological properties such as emulsion stability or lipid oxidation in spite of using vegetable oils highly susceptible to oxidation. The reformulation of the frankfurters presented a greater effect on the texture and sensory properties when GE was used as total substitution for the pork back fat (S4). When GE was used only as partial substitution for the pork back fat, sausages similar to control frankfurter were obtained. So this study demonstrated that the use of GE could be a promising strategy in the reformulation of healthier meat product

Ultrasound and Its Combination with Natural Antimicrobials: Effects on Shelf Life and Quality Stability of a Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie

Fruit and vegetable natural beverage market is growing around the world, but their intrinsic characteristics lead to a high microbial and enzymatic activity, showing a short shelf life when not treated. The present work aims to evaluate the effect of ultrasound (US) treatments on the main spoilage factors and some quality indicators of a mixed fruit and vegetable smoothie (F&VS). Likewise, the advantages of combining US with green tea extract (GTE), nisin (Ni), or natamycin (Na) on the shelf life and stability of the F&VS were assessed. Temperature control was needed to avoid high temperatures during treatment and consequent nutrients and organoleptic degradation. Length of treatment lower than 15 min was required to avoid poliphenoloxidase activation. Ultrasound-selected treatment (UST) was of 70% of amplitude during 4 min, since presented the greatest reduction of peroxidase activity (71.6%) and well performance on microbial control. Both UST and UST + GTE treatments extended F&VS microbial shelf life by 1 week, while UST + Na and UST + Ni by at least 2 weeks. UST greatly increased betalain extractability (55–80%). Its combination with GTE significantly increased the TPC and the antioxidant capacity of the product, as well as enhanced betalain stability during storage. Finally, remarkable results on Listeria initial reductions were obtained with UST + Ni (> 4 log) and on Escherichia coli with UST + GTE (1.7 log) when contamination was simulated. Indeed, the potential of US and their combination with natural antimicrobials on quality preservation as well as on shelf life extension and safety assurance of the F&VS was probed with very promising results.Fil: Casco, María de Los Ángeles. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Industrias. Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos y Procesos Químicos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos y Procesos Químicos; ArgentinaFil: Jagus, Rosa Juana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; ArgentinaFil: Agüero, Maria Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez, María Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long"; Argentin