Economic and technical feasibility of betanin and pectin extraction from opuntia ficus-indica peel via microwave-assisted hydrodiffusion

Investigating the feasibility of betanin and pectin extraction from Opuntia ficus-indica peel via microwave-assisted hydrodiffusion and gravity, this study identifies selected important economic and technical aspects associated with this innovative production route starting from prickly pear fruit discards. Which benefits would be derived from this process? Would production be limited to Opuntia-growing countries or, likewise to what happens with dried lemon peel chiefly imported from Argentina, would production take place abroad also? Can distributed manufacturing based on clean extraction technology compete with centralized production using conventional chemical processes

New neuroprotective effect of lemon integropectin on neuronal cellular model

Lemon IntegroPectin obtained via hydrodynamic cavitation of organic lemon processing waste in water shows significant neuroprotective activity in vitro, as first reported in this study in-vestigating the effects of both lemon IntegroPectin and commercial citrus pectin on cell viability, cell morphology, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and mitochondria perturbation induced by treatment of neuronal SH-SY5Y human cells with H2O2. Mediated by ROS, including H2O2 and its derivatives, oxidative stress alters numerous cellular processes, such as mitochondrial regulation and cell signaling, propagating cellular injury that leads to incurable neurodegenerative diseases. These results, and the absence of toxicity of this new pectic substance rich in adsorbed flavonoids and terpenes, suggest further studies to investigate its activity in preventing, retarding, or even curing neurological diseases

Phenomenology, Organisation, and Technology

International audienceThis book is first and foremostly about phenomenology, but not phenomenology for its own sake. It is about what the phenomenological orientation can contribute to our attempts to make sense of complex contemporary phenomena such as the lived experience of technology and contemporary organisational practices. The purpose of this book is to turn back and orient ourselves towards the ongoing meaningful and subjectively lived experience of those phenomena ? to return to the (meaning of) things themselves. This was indeed the desire that underpinned the creation of the workgroup on Phenomenology, Organisation and Technology (POT), with its inaugural meeting in London in 2001; followed by POT 2 in Lisbon (2003), POT 3 in Rovaniemi (2004), POT 4 in Lyon (2005), POT 5 in Amsterdam (2006), and POT 6 in Oxford (2008). The chapters in this book were initially presented at these workshops. The book intertwines Phenomenology, Organisation and Technology in three ways. One of these, an enduring concern for the group, is the question of phenomenology itself ? Part I grapples with the question of what phenomenology is and how it might be used. This is a question that needs constant renewal as the phenomenological tradition develops and transforms itself. Part II proceeds by taking a phenomenological orientation towards a variety of organisational phenomena and Part III focuses on our condition of being immersed in an increasingly technologically textured life-world. In 'applyin' phenomenology to contemporary organisational and technological issues, this book suggests that phenomenology can still renew and reinvigorate questions central to our contemporary way of being in everyday organisational life. This is important, not only for management and organisation studies, but also for the phenomenological movement as a whole. The phenomenological project, that this book embodies, can be said to be twofold: (i) it aims at providing a path towards more realistic knowledge, knowledge closer to lived experience - this is our original contribution to management and organisation studies; and (ii) it aims at providing methods or views which are less stark (one may even say sanitised) than those based on pure 'evident objective reality' - this, we believe, is our social responsibility as researchers. In this sense, phenomenology clearly has something to say about the difficulties encountered early on in the 21st century.<br/

A cork-silica xerogel nanocomposite with unique properties

Taking advantage of the bonding between cork and silica xerogel, environmentally friendly nanocomposites are synthesized by a sol-gel process and dried at ambient pressure, with a superb combination of properties: densities near 600 kg m(-3), surface areas of 200 m(2) g(-1), mechanical strength up to 24 MPa, Shore D hardness up to 58 and, moreover, flame retardant. These properties are tunable by adjusting the synthesis parameters. The effects of cork granulometry and pre-swelling, and of the catalysis conditions are analyzed. Potential applications for these innovative nanocomposites are envisaged as replacement of thermoplastic polymers or hard wood, when non-flammability is desirable. The present approach opens a range of possibilities for developing unique composite materials that use natural and inexpensive raw resources and soft synthesis processes, with little energy requirements. [GRAPHICS]Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) [UID/NAN/50024/2013]FCTSaint-Gobain Weber Portugal S.A. [SFRH/BDE/112796/2015]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio