Distinctive Features of Protocol in Academics Acts of East Europe Universities

Las tradiciones y símbolos utilizados en las universidades son elementos capaces de prestigiarlas al proyectar una imagen única y característica. Por tanto, el objetivo es comprobar si, al igual que en las universidades españolas, en otros países se presta atención a estas herramientas de Relaciones Públicas. Para ello, los responsables de protocolo de 14 universidades de Europa del Este han sido encuestados y entrevistados. Los resultados muestran el interés de los países analizados hacia estas cuestiones. Se concluye que existen muchas similitudes entre países, situación que pone de manifiesto el valor de estas señas de identidad en el ámbito universitarioTraditions and symbols of universities can give prestige to these institutions, as these elements project a unique and distinctive image. Therefore, the goal is determine whether certain countries pay attention these Public Relations tools, as in the Spanish universities. To do this, the head of protocol of 14 East Europe universities have been surveyed and interviewed. The results show the interest of the countries into these issues. We concluded that there are many similarities between countries. This situation demonstrates the value of these hallmarks in universitiesCiencias de la Comunicació

Dimensión social del paisaje como herramienta para la gestión de espacios naturales en entornos agrícolas

Con la revolución industrial se produjeron importantes avances científicos y tecnológicos, en la búsqueda por atender la demanda de alimentos, fibras y combustibles, impulsado por la desconexión entre la naturaleza y la sociedad que caracteriza a la modernidad. Sin embargo, ello ha provocado transformaciones que se ven reflejadas en la homogenización del paisaje y los desbalances que esto provoca sobre procesos ecológicos clave a escala global, que eventualmente limitan el desarrollo esperado por la sociedad. El reconocimiento de los impactos ambientales negativos, como una consecuencia de la acción humana, y el efecto que ello tiene sobre la misma sociedad, impulsa a la modernidad reflexiva, en la que la sociedad deja de ser opuesta a la naturaleza, y se hace más perceptible a los peligros, entendiendo los riesgos como el daño futuro que se deriva de decisiones presentes. En este sentido, explicar los cambios o alteraciones sobre el paisaje, donde se producen múltiples servicios que contribuyen al bienestar humano, sin considerar el rol que cumple la sociedad como parte integral del paisaje, limita la comprensión de las transformaciones ambientales. Por lo que cada vez adquiere mayor relevancia, como una estrategia para alcanzar la sustentabilidad, la necesidad de entender las motivaciones de las personas para decidir por determinadas configuraciones del paisaje, al favorecer una práctica o actividad específica en éste, aspecto poco abordado por la literatura científica, particularmente desde la teoría de la percepción del riesgo. Con base en lo anterior, el propósito de la presente investigación es analizar la percepción social del riesgo frente a las alteraciones en humedales enmarcados en una matriz agrícola en España. A partir de entrevistas semiestructuradas y encuestas, propuestas como una metodología que ofrece un mejor entendimiento de los múltiples significados del riesgo, además de facilitar la caracterización de la relación existente entre las personas y los componentes naturales en el paisaje. Entendiendo que, al incorporar la dimensión social en los procesos de gestión del paisaje, en especial en lo relativo a garantizar el equilibrio entre las actividades productivas y la conservación de ecosistemas de importancia como los de humedal, provee un marco de acción para la toma de decisiones hacia medidas efectivas que aseguren la sustentabilidad del paisaje agrícola. Así mismo, entender las principales preocupaciones de las personas asociadas a estos paisajes, así como el contexto específico en el que se perciben los riesgos y el rol que juega el componente natural en ello, permitiría desarrollar procesos deliberativos que faciliten una mejor comunicación del riesgo, además de promover la participación de diversos actores en la toma de decisiones, favoreciendo la capacidad de adaptación de las comunidades en paisajes simplificados, hacia paisajes con un mayor grado de multifuncionalidad

Bark extract of Uncaria tomentosa L. for the control of strawberry phytopathogens

Gray mold (Botrytis cinerea Pers.), crown and fruit rot (Phytophthora cactorum (Lebert and Cohn) J.Schröt), and verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae Kleb.) are among the main diseases that affect the strawberry crop. In the study presented herein, the bark extract of Uncaria tomentosa (Willd. ex Schult.) DC, popularly known as “cat’s claw”, has been evaluated for its capability to act as a sustainable control method. The bioactive compounds present in the aqueous ammonia extract were characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy, and the antimicrobial activity of the extract—alone and in combination with chitosan oligomers (COS)—was assessed in vitro and as a coating for postharvest treatment during storage. Octyl isobutyrate (30.7%), 19α methyl-2-oxoformosanan-16-carboxylate (9.3%), tetrahydro-2-methyl-thiophene (4.7%), and α-methyl manofuranoside (4.4%) were identified as the main phytoconstituents. The results of in vitro growth inhibition tests showed that, upon conjugation of the bark extract with COS, complete inhibition was reached at concentrations in the 39–93.75 μg∙mL−1 range, depending on the pathogen. Concerning the effect of the treatment as a coating to prolong the storage life and control decay during post-harvest storage, high protection was observed at a concentration of 1000 μg∙mL−1. Because of this effectiveness, higher than that attained with conventional synthetic fungicides, the bark extracts of cat’s claw may hold promise for strawberry crop protection

An analysis of the similarities in the ATR-FTIR spectra from Argania spinosa, Rosa rubiginosa and Elaeis guineensis oils

The attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) spectra of the essential oil from Rosa rubiginosa L. seeds and the vegetable oils from Argania spinosa L. kernel and Elaeis guineensis Jacq. pulp show important similitudes that hamper their identification by vibrational spectroscopy techniques if they are not complemented with well-established methods such as gas chromatography. Nevertheless, the observed similarities in structure-composition-traditional uses between Argania spinosa and Rosa rubiginosa oils suggest that they could be interchangeable when skin physicians, dermatologic-surgeons or cosmetologists perceive in their practice that one of the oils produces an allergic reaction or other side effects, although further activity studies are needed

A coating based on bioactive compounds from Streptomyces spp. and chitosan oligomers to control Botrytis cinerea preserves the quality and Improves the shelf life of table grapes

Producción CientíficaBotrytis cinerea is the most harmful postharvest disease of table grapes. Among the strategies that can be envisaged for its control, the use of coatings based on natural products is particularly promising. The study presented herein focuses on the assessment of the antagonistic capacity of two Streptomyces species and their culture filtrates against B. cinerea. Firstly, the secondary metabolites were characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, with N1-(4-hydroxybutyl)-N3-methylguanidine acetate and 2R,3S-9-[1,3,4-trihydroxy-2-butoxymethyl]guanine acetate as the main compounds produced by S. lavendofoliae DSM 40217; and cyclo(leucyloprolyl) and cyclo(phenylalanylprolyl) as the most abundant chemical species for S. rochei DSM 41729. Subsequently, the capacity of S. lavendofoliae DSM 40217 and S. rochei DSM 41729 to inhibit the growth of the pathogen was tested in dual culture plate assays, finding 85–90% inhibition. In agar dilution tests, their culture filtrates resulted in effective concentration values (EC90) in the 246–3013 μg·mL−1 range. Upon the formation of conjugate complexes with chitosan oligomers (COS) to improve solubility and bioavailability, a synergistic behavior was observed, resulting in lower EC90 values, ranging from 201 to 953 μg·mL−1. Ex situ tests carried out on ‘Timpson’ and ‘Red Globe’ table grapes using the conjugate complexes as coatings were found to maintain the turgor of the grapes and delay the appearance of the pathogen by 10−15 days at concentrations in the 750−1000 µg·mL−1 range. Hence, the conjugate complexes of COS and the selected Streptomyces spp. culture filtrates may be put forward as promising protection treatments for the sustainable control of gray mold

Vibrational analysis and thermal behavior of Salvia hispanica, Nigella sativa and Papaver somniferum seeds

Producción CientíficaIntroduction: Salvia hispanica L., Nigella sativa L. and Papaver somniferum L. are involved in opiate-dependent behavior. It is known that the seeds of these three herbs contain high amounts of antioxidants, which are helpful in disease prevention, but further research is needed on some of their other phytochemical components (terpene alkaloids, benzoquinones and others), which are claimed to affect human opioid receptors. Methods: Seeds from the three afore mentioned plants have been studied by ATR-FTIR vibrational spectroscopy and thermo analytical techniques (TG/DTG, DTA and DSC). Results: The infrared spectrum has confirmed the presence of the ester carbonyl of terpenoid alkaloids (such as nigellamine) and the fully conjugated cyclic dione structure of quinones (e.g., thymoquinone). As regards the thermal stability of these seeds, small differences have been observed in their thermal profiles (endothermic effects at around 333ºC for chia, 268ºC for black cumin and 319ºC for poppy seeds), which can be ascribed to their different content in carbohydrates. Conclusions: The functional groups of the main active constituents and the thermal behavior of these three seeds have been elucidated

Thermal behavior of calafate (Berberis buxifolia) seeds

Low temperature is the most important factor limiting the distribution of plants. In this study the low temperature thermal behavior of calafate seeds was analyzed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and a vibrational characterization of their different components was conducted by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In cold-acclimated plants, such as calafate, the total percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids in their seeds is significantly higher than that of saturated fatty acids. Successive freezing-thawing cycles lead to increased formation of linoleic (LA) and linolenic (LNA) a-crystals. This process would barely modify the phase-transition temperature of the lipid membrane but would lead to an increase in the membrane fluidity (LNA would make the cell membranes more fluid during seed development). It seems that processes in membranes rather than in the glassy cytoplasm may determine the cooling resistance

Crude and refined oils from Elaeis guineensis: Facile characterization by FTIR and thermal analysis techniques

From an industrial perspective, fast characterization of raw materials provides an important tool for preventing manufacturing problems and contributes to assure the quality of the final products. In this work, several fast, cheap, and simple methods (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and various thermoanalytical techniques) were used for screening and characterization of crude and refined palm oils and other palm-derived products. The FTIR spectra allowed for ready distinction between mesocarp-derived products and those obtained from the kernel. The same applied to high-temperature differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) thermograms and the low-temperature DSC curves, in which the peak values and the presence or absence of certain peaks also permitted to differentiate among the various oils and fractions. Correspondences of mesocarp-derived oils with olein and kernel-derived oils with stearin were confirmed by both analytical methods and from the crystallization study. The relationship between the triglyceride composition and the FTIR and thermal profiles of the various palm-derived products has potential to be utilized as a facile quality control method in mill plants and laboratories

On the probable composition of ‘Jamaican stone’ aphrodisiac

Producción CientíficaA dangerous aphrodisiac, commonly known as ‘Jamaican stone’, banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has been studied by vibrational spectroscopy in order to solve the controversy on its composition. The results of the ATR-FTIR analysis revealed the presence of the a-pyrone ring, which is characteristic of bufadienolides from toad venom and bulbs of squill (Drimia maritima (L.) Stearn). This conclusion was reached after a comparative study with the spectra for phytochemicals derived from gambir and cat’s claw, two Uncaria species also preconized as aphrodisiacs and deemed as possible constituents of the ‘stone’. Owing to their physiologic similarities to digoxin, bufadienolides have been shown to produce a toxic profile similar to that of digoxin, although the lack one of the side chains found on digoxin should allow the use of hemodialysis to treat ‘Jamaican stone’ overdose

Furfural, 5-HMF, acid-soluble lignin and sugar contents in C. ladanifer and E. arborea lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysates obtained from microwave-assisted treatments in different solvents

Cistus ladanifer L. and Erica arborea L. are the two most representative shrub species from the Iberian Peninsula. With a view to their valorization, their biomass hydrolysate components, obtained from microwave-assisted treatments with choline chloride/urea - HNO3 10%, N,N-dimethylacetamide/NaHCO3 and N,N-dimethylacetamide/CH3OK as solvents, have been measured using a spectrophotometric method. Concentrations of furfural and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (5-HMF) in the filtrate have been determined after reduction with NaBH4. The production of total sugars, reducing sugars and non-reducing sugars has also been assessed. The obtained results support the choice of microwave-assisted choline chloride/urea deep eutectic solvent in acid media as the preferred method (over the polar aprotic solvent-based alternatives) for the extraction of lignin, furfural, 5-HMF and sugars from C. ladanifer and E. arborea biomass, attaining the best production yields for 60¿min exposure times. Another is the case if the aim of the treatments is to recovery sugars from both shrubs for subsequent enzymatic saccharification: the very low 5-HMF contents resulting from the dimetylacetamide systems (especially is association with CH3OK) make them highly advantageous as compared to the traditional method using NaOH