Is Newer Technology Always Better?: Why Indigenous Peoples’ Technology Should be Incorporated into the International Fight Against Climate Change

In 2010, with the aim of deviating from “business as usual,” the member states of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (“Convention”) gathered in Cancun, Mexico. The Convention currently consists of two tracks, the Ad Hoc Working Group under the Kyoto Protocol (“AWG-KP”) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Longterm Cooperative Action (“AWG-LCA”). The latter track agreed that developing countries would take on a greater responsibility in climate change mitigation. Many of these countries already play a key role in the mitigation effort by voluntarily participating in projects. Now they have agreed to further their role under the AWG-LCA by implementing nationally appropriate mitigation actions (“NAMAs”) for sustainable development and outlining a national strategy for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (“REDD”)

Determination of steviol glycosides in commercial extracts of Stevia rebaudiana and sweeteners by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography Orbitrap mass spectrometry

Stevia rebaudiana extracts are used as sweeteners in several countries worldwide. Several extracts of diverse composition are available on the market, and their taste depends on the contents of the various steviol glycosides. This study presents an accurate method for the qualitative and quantitative determination of steviol glycosides in 40 Stevia extracts, 7 sweeteners and 3 Stevia-sweetened beverages by a UHPLC coupled to an Orbitrap mass spectrometer. The sub-2 \u3bcm amide column provided the separation of all the target analytes in a run time of 30 min with high resolution. The effect of different eluent compositions on the ionisation efficiency of the steviol glycosides was studied. The optimal ionisation conditions were achieved in negative mode using 0.05% formic acid. Under this condition, adducts were not found, [M-H]- were the main ions and the spontaneous loss of a glucose residue at C19 was reduced. The %RSD for intra- and inter-day precision for all eleven analytes varied from 2.1\u20134.2% and 3.0\u20135.1%, respectively. The recoveries from spiked Stevia extract samples were greater than 95% for all analytes. Rebaudioside A was the most abundant, ranging from 23\u2013102%. Nine Stevia extracts and one drink were not compliant with the European Regulation. Isosteviol was under the LOD in all samples and steviol was found in four samples in quantities in the range 0.01\u20130.03%

PENGARUH KINERJA LINGKUNGAN DAN PENGUNGKAPAN LINGKUNGAN TERHADAP KINERJA EKONOMI

Penelitian ini bertujuan menguji pengaruh Kinerja Lingkungan, Pengungkapan Lingkungan, dan Kinerja Ekonomi, untuk mengetahui apakah terdapat pengaruh Kinerja Lingkungan dan Pengungkapan Lingkungan Terhadap Kinerja ekonomi pada perusahaan pertambangan yang terdaftar di BEI periode 2009-2011. Jenis penelitian ini adalah deskriptif verifikatif bersifat kausal. Sampel Penelitian yaitu berdasarkan metode purposive sampling dimana pengambilan sampel berdasarkan kriteria-kriteria tertentu, diperoleh sebanyak 11 perusahaan pertambangan sebagai sampel penelitian selama tahun 2009-2011. Pengujian dilakukan dengan menggunakan regresi berganda. Hasil penelitian secara simultan menunjukkan bahwa adanya pengaruh antara kinerja lingkungan dan pengungkapan lingkungan terhadap kinerja ekonomi. Hasil penelitian secara parsial menunjukan bahwa kinerja lingkungan tidak berpengaruh signifikan terhadap kinerja ekonomi, sedangkan pengungkapan lingkungan memiliki pengaruh yang signifikan dengan arah hubungan negatif terhadap kinerja ekonomi. Kata Kunci : Kinerja Lingkungan, Pengungkapan Lingkungan, dan Kinerja Ekonom

EFFECTS OF THERMAL PROCESSING ON WILD BLUEBERRY ANTHOCYANINS AND THEIR ABSORPTION, METABOLISM, DISTRIBUTION AND EXCRETION IN SPRAGUE-DAWLEY RAT

Anthocyanins (ACN) bioavailability and metabolism were not well established. Moreover, ACN are labile compounds and deteriorate during storage. Thus, the degradation kinetics of ACN contained in wild blueberry (WB) powder stored at 25, 42, 60 and 80 \ub0C for 49 days and total antioxidant activity (TAA) were evaluated. Then, we investigated WB ACN adsorption, metabolism, distribution in the plasma, liver, brain, and their excretion in urine and feces in rats fed a WB-enriched diet (24\ub15 mg/day of ACN) for 4 and 8 weeks. At last, we evaluated ACN transformation by human and rat microflora from stomach, small intestine and colon. Anthocyanins in WB were 1.8\ub10.1 mg/100 mg powder. The product maintains the content of ACN and TAA longer (up to 130 days) at 25\ub0C; however, storage at 4 \ub0C represents the best way to delay decay. Anthocyanin profile in biological sample significantly increased in urine and not in feces after 8 weeks on the WB diet compared to that in 4 weeks. No ACNs were detected in the controls. ACN metabolites were detected in the plasma, urine, feces, and tissues, but the urinary excretion of hippuric acid increased significantly after 4 and 8 weeks of WB consumption. Thus, ACN are metabolized by the intestinal microflora to respective phenyl-alkyl acids, which can be further metabolized to benzoic acid. In conclusion, ACN are bioavailable in rats, and the extent of their metabolism and excretion is based on diet duration. The colon bacteria showed the highest catabolic activity against ACN, indeed about 84% degradation in the first six hours of incubation. The amount of the formed phenolic acid reached up to a maximum of 40 % of the parent compound, suggesting the occurrence of ACNs degradation pathways not yet identified

Identification of markers for the authentication of cranberry extract and cranberry-based food supplements

Due to the high cost of the cranberry extract, there have been several reported cases of adulteration. The aim of our study was to find markers to authenticate extracts or cranberry-based food supplements. Cranberry fruits from 7 countries, 17 cranberry extracts and 10 cranberry-based food supplements were analysed by UPLC-DAD-Orbitrap MS. Procyanidins were assessed by DMAC method. Anthocyanin fingerprint and epicatechin/catechin, procyanidin A2/total procyanidin and procyanidin/anthocyanin ratios were used as markers, and PCA carried out to check for similarity. Approximately 24% and 60% of the extracts and food supplements, respectively, differed significantly from the fruits. One seemed adulterated with Morus nigra and two with Hibiscus extract. Six food supplements were non-compliant and five contained mainly cyanidin-glucoside and cyanidin-rutinoside, suggesting adulteration with M. nigra extract. Only four products contained the procyanidin amount declared on the package, and only one provided the daily dose deemed effective for treating a urinary tract infection

Impact of a multistrain probiotic formulation with high bifidobacterial content on the fecal bacterial community and short-chain fatty acid levels of healthy adults

The consumption of probiotic products is continually increasing, supported by growing scientific evidence of their efficacy. Considering that probiotics may primarily affect health (either positively or negatively) through gut microbiota modulation, the first aspect that should be evaluated is their impact on the intestinal microbial ecosystem. In this study, we longitudinally analyzed the bacterial taxonomic composition and organic acid levels in four fecal samples collected over the course of four weeks from 19 healthy adults who ingested one capsule a day for two weeks of a formulation containing at least 70 billion colony-forming units, consisting of 25% lactobacilli and 75% Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis. We found that 16S rRNA gene profiling showed that probiotic intake only induced an increase in a single operational taxonomic unit ascribed to B. animalis, plausibly corresponding to the ingested bifidobacterial strain. Furthermore, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry revealed a significant increase in the lactate and acetate/butyrate ratio and a trend toward a decrease in succinate following probiotic administration. The presented results indicate that the investigated probiotic formulation did not alter the intestinal bacterial ecosystem of healthy adults and suggest its potential ability to promote colonization resistance in the gut through a transient increase in fecal bifidobacteria, lactic acid, and the acetate/butyrate ratio

Characterization of As(III) oxidizing Achromobacter sp. strain N2 : effects on arsenic toxicity and translocation in rice

Achromobacter sp. strain N2 was isolated from a pyrite-cinder-contaminated soil and presented plant growth promoting traits (ACC deaminase activity, production of indole-3-acetic and jasmonic acids, siderophores secretion, and phosphate solubilization) and arsenic transformation abilities. Achromobacter sp. strain N2 was resistant to different metals and metalloids, including arsenate (100 mM) and arsenite (5 mM). The strain was resistant to ionic stressors (i.e., arsenate and NaCl), whereas bacterial growth was impaired by osmotic stress. Strain N2 was able to oxidize 1.0 mmol L-1 of arsenite to arsenate in 72 h. This evidence was supported by the retrieval of an arsenite oxidase AioA gene highly homologous to arsenite oxidases of Achromobacter and Alcaligenes species. Rice seeds of Oryza sativa (var. Loto) were bio-primed with ACCD-induced and non-induced cells in order to evaluate the effect of inoculation on rice seedlings growth and arsenic uptake. The bacterization with ACCD-induced cells significantly improved seed germination and seedling heights if compared with the seeds inoculated with non-induced cells and non-primed seeds. Enhanced arsenic uptake was evidenced in the presence of ACCD-induced cells, suggesting a role of ACCD activity on the mitigation of the toxicity of arsenic accumulated by the plant. This kind of responses should be taken into account when proposing PGP strains for improving plant growth in arsenic-rich soils

R(-)-O-desmethylangolensin is the main enantiomeric form of daidzein metabolite produced by human in vitro and in vivo

After ingestion, human intestinal bacteria transform daidzein into dihydrodaidzein, which can be further metabolised to O-desmethylangolensin. This metabolite, unlike daidzein, has a chiral centre and can therefore occur as two distinct enantiomers; however, it is unclear which enantiomer is present in humans. The aim of this study was to define in vitro and in vivo the structure of O-desmethylangolensin and then to evaluate its pharmacokinetic parameters. Daidzein metabolism was preliminarily investigated in anaerobic batch cultures inoculated with mixed faecal bacteria from O-desmethylangolensin producer volunteers. The transformation was monitored by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and a chiral column was used to distinguish dihydrodaidzein and O-desmethylangolensin enantiomers. These were purified, analysed by circular dichroism and the results established R(-)-O-desmethylangolensin as the main product (enantiomer excess 91%). However, both dihydrodaidzein enantiomers were detected. Similar results were obtained by in vivo trials. The in vitro formation of O-desmethylangolensin seems to be directly correlated with the number of transforming microorganisms. This correlation was found in vivo for tmax but not for other pharmacokinetic indexes. The pharmacokinetics of daidzein, dihydrodaidzein and O-desmethylangolensin were then evaluated in 11 healthy adult O-desmethylangolensin producers after the single administration of soy milk containing 100mg daidzein. The conjugated forms of daidzein, dihydrodaidzein and O-desmethylangolensin represent more than 90 and 95% of the plasmatic and urinary forms, respectively. The Cmax, tmax and half-life of O-desmethylangolensin in plasma were 62\ub153nM, 28\ub111 and 15\ub16h, respectively. Relevant inter-individual variations were observed as indicated by the high standard deviations

Nutrients, phytochemicals and botanical origin of commercial bee pollen from different geographical areas

This work evaluated the nutritional, phytochemical composition and botanical origin of commercial bee pollen from three different countries. Fructose (17\u201323%) was the most abundant sugar, followed by glucose (14\u201316%) and sucrose (5\u20136%). The protein content in Colombian (24%) and Italian (22%) pollen was higher than in the Spanish sample (14%). The total lipid contents were higher for the Spanish (6%) and Colombian pollens (6%) than the Italian (2.5%). Twenty-one fatty acids were identified, and the most abundant were palmitic, \u3b1-linolenic, linoleic and oleic acid. Colombian pollen was rich in n\u20123 fatty acids, while Italian and Spanish samples contained high amounts of n\u20126 fatty acids. Polyphenols and carotenoids were identified by UHPLC-DAD-Orbitrap mass spectrometry detection. Thirty-nine polyphenols were identified, and the dominant compounds were tri-caffeoyl- and caffeoyl-di-p-coumaroyl spermidine derivatives. Di-lauryl-zeaxanthin was the main carotenoid detected in all the samples analyzed. Colombian pollen contained traces of lutein, zeaxanthin, \u3b2-carotene and phytoene, while only \u3b2-carotene was present in the Spanish and Italian samples. After saponification, the average total amount of carotenoids was 57, 25 and 221\u202f\u3bcg/g in pollen from Spain, Italy and Colombia, respectively. The free proline to total free amino acid ratio was 53, 59 and 78 for pollen from Spain, Italy and Colombia, respectively