Kinetic study of pilot-scale supercritical CO2 extraction of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) leaves

NOTICE: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Supercritical Fluids. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 55 (2011). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.supflu.2010.09.030Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extracts were obtained in a supercritical pilot-scale plant. Based on experimental information available in the literature for analytical or low-scale processes, extraction temperature and pressure were selected to be 313 K and 30 MPa. At these extraction conditions, the kinetic behavior of the pilot-scale overall extraction curve were determined with respect to yield, antioxidant activity and carnosic acid content. The overall extraction curve was represented using Sovova’s model; the average deviation between measured and calculated yields was lower than 2%. Mass transfer coefficients in the fluid and solid phases were determined and were compared with previous data reported in the literature for low-scale rosemary supercritical extraction. A two-stage depressurization procedure was accomplished and the effect of both on-line fractionation and extraction time on the antioxidant activity of the samples collected was studied. The antioxidant activity of the different fractions could be straight correlated with the carnosic acid content with a regression coefficient of 0.92This work has been financed by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (ALIBIRD-S2009/AGR-1469) and project FUN-C-FOOD, CSD2007-00063 (CONSOLIDER-INGENIO) from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain

LCG Service Challenge 3 at the Spanish Tier-1 and Tier-2 sites

This note describes the participation of the Spanish centres PIC and CIEMAT in the LCG Service Challenge 3 as Tier-1 and Tier-2 sites respectively. Data transfer, job submission and data throughput from mass storage to the data processing jobs have been successfully exercised at the desired level. Very valuable experience has been gained running the complex computing system under realistic conditions at a signi cant scale

Diferencias en composición química y relaciones con la calidad de la proteína de las harinas de soja según origen.

La harina de soja (HS) es la principal fuente de proteína utilizada en la fabricación de piensos. En Europa, la mayor parte de las HS procede de uno de los tres principales países productores: Estados Unidos (USA), Brasil (BRA) y Argentina (ARG). La composición y valor nutricional de las HS varía entre países de origen en función de las variedades cultivadas, las condiciones agronómicas y las condiciones de procesado (Grieshop et al., 2003; De Coca et al., 2008, 2010; Frikha et al., 2012). En un trabajo anterior Mateos et al. (2011) presentaron los resultados obtenidos de una colección de 385 muestras de HS recogidas entre los años 2007 y 2010 procedentes de estos tres países. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo complementar los resultados anteriores con nuevas muestras procedentes de las cosechas de los años 2011 y 2012. Asimismo se presentarán las correlaciones más destacadas entre componentes analíticos y las variables de calidad de la proteína habitualmente utilizadas por la industria

Design of a case management model for people with chronic disease (Heart Failure and COPD). Phase I: modeling and identification of the main components of the intervention through their actors: patients and professionals (DELTA-ICE-PRO Study

Background Chronic diseases account for nearly 60% of deaths around the world. The extent of this silent epidemic has not met determined responses in governments, policies or professionals in order to transform old Health Care Systems, configured for acute diseases. There is a large list of research about alternative models for people with chronic conditions, many of them with an advanced practice nurse as a key provider, as case management. But some methodological concerns raise, above all, the design of the intervention (intensity, frequency, components, etc). Methods/Design Objectives: General: To develop the first and second phases (theorization and modeling) for designing a multifaceted case-management intervention in people with chronic conditions (COPD and heart failure) and their caregivers. Specific aims: 1) To identify key events in people living with chronic disease and their relation with the Health Care System, from their point of view. 2) To know the coping mechanisms developed by patients and their caregivers along the story with the disease. 3) To know the information processing and its utilization in their interactions with health care providers. 4) To detect potential unmet needs and the ways deployed by patients and their caregivers to resolve them. 5) To obtain a description from patients and caregivers, about their itineraries along the Health Care System, in terms of continuity, accessibility and comprehensiveness of care. 6) To build up a list of promising case-management interventions in patients with Heart Failure and COPD with this information in order to frame it into theoretical models for its reproducibility and conceptualization. 7) To undergo this list to expert judgment to assess its feasibility and pertinence in the Andalusian Health Care. Design: Qualitative research with two phases: For the first five objectives, a qualitative technique with biographic stories will be developed and, for the remaining objectives, an expert consensus through Delphi technique, on the possible interventions yielded from the first phase. The study will be developed in the provinces of Almería, Málaga and Granada in the Southern Spain, from patients included in the Andalusian Health Care Service database with the diagnosis of COPD or Heart Failure, with the collaboration of case manager nurses and general practitioners for the assessment of their suitability to inclusion criteria. Patients and caregivers will be interviewed in their homes or their Health Centers, with their family or their case manager nurse as mediator. Discussion First of a series of studies intended to design a case-management service for people with heart failure and COPD, in the Andalusian Health Care System, where case management has been implemented since 2002. Accordingly with the steps of a theoretical model for complex interventions, in this study, theorization and intervention modeling phases will be developed.This research was carried out with the support of one research grant, awarded by the Regional Health Ministry of Andalusia (Exp. 0222/2008

Ontogeny of Expression and Activity of Digestive Enzymes and Establishment of gh/igf1 Axis in the Omnivorous Fish Chelon labrosus

Simple Summary Thick-lipped grey mullet (Chelon labrosus) feeds on the lowest trophic levels during adult stages, for which it is considered a viable candidate for an economically and environmentally sustainable aquaculture. Similar to most of marine fish species, C. labrosus produce a large number of eggs, leading to morphologically and anatomically larvae that are not completely mature and have to pass through substantial differentiation and development in their functional systems to acquire adult features. Therefore, the study of the development of digestive tract and of the growth regulation can provide useful information to adapt the feeding protocols and rearing conditions to the physiological requirements at each stage. This work aimed to evaluate the early ontogeny of key digestive enzymes and somatotropic factors at biochemical and/or transcriptional levels. Our results evidenced that maturation of the digestive system and acquisition of the adult mode of digestion occurs around 60 to 70 days post hatch (dph), when starch or other low-cost carbohydrate-based compounds could be used in formulated diets at increasing levels. Furthermore, our results implied an independent expression of the studied somatotropic genes during the first 40 dph and establishment of a functional growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 axis from 50 dph onward. Abstract Thick-lipped grey mullet (Chelon labrosus) is a candidate for sustainable aquaculture due to its omnivorous/detritivorous feeding habit. This work aimed to evaluate its digestive and growth potentials from larval to early juvenile stages. To attain these objectives the activity of key digestive enzymes was measured from three until 90 days post hatch (dph). Expression of genes involved in digestion of proteins (try2, ctr, pga2, and atp4a), carbohydrates (amy2a), and lipids (cel and pla2g1b), together with two somatotropic factors (gh and igf1) were also quantified. No chymotrypsin or pepsin activities were detected. While specific activity of trypsin and lipase were high during the first 30 dph and declined afterward, amylase activity was low until 57 dph and increased significantly beyond that point. Expression of try2, ctr, amy2a, and cel increased continuously along development, and showed a peak at the end of metamorphosis. Expression of pla2g1b, pga2 and atp4a increased until the middle of metamorphosis and decreased afterwars. Most of these trends contrast the usual patterns in carnivorous species and highlight the transition from larvae, with high protein requirements, to post-larvae/juvenile stages, with omnivorous/detritivorous feeding preferences. Somatotropic genes, gh and igf1, showed approximately inverse expression patterns, suggesting the establishment of the Gh/Igf1 axis from 50 dph

Actividad insecticida del polvo de Peumus boldus Molina (Monimiaceae) contra Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Se evaluaron las propiedades insecticidas del polvo de follaje de Peumus boldus Molina para el control de adultos y estados inmaduros de S. zeamais. La mayor toxicidad por contacto y fumigación se obtuvo con las concentraciones iguales o mayores a 1,25% registrando una mortalidad superior a 90%. Los tratamientos con mayor mortalidad mostraron también una baja emergencia de insectos adultos (F 1) y menor pérdida de peso del grano. En el control de estados inmaduros la menor F1 se observó en las concentraciones más altas de polvo. El almacenamiento del polvo en refrigeración no impidió la pérdida en el tiempo de las propiedades insecticidas. Todas las concentraciones evaluadas mostraron efecto repelente contra adultos de S. zeamais. El polvo de P. boldus no afectó significativamente la germinación de los granos. Se concluye que el polvo de P. boldus tiene perspectivas auspiciosas para el control de plagas de los productos almacenados

Estudio dinámico sobre la medición de la incongruencia radiocubital por medio de la artroscopia

El estudio consistió en evaluar la Incongruencia radiocubital (IRC) mediante artroscopia. Ésta técnica es fiable tanto para el diagnóstico como para el tratamiento de multitud de alteraciones intraarticulares, aunque presenta ciertas peculiaridades técnicas. Por ello, se propuso verificar la precisión y las limitaciones que puede tener esta técnica en la realización tanto de valoraciones métricas mediante variaciones dinámicas del radio respecto al cúbito, como para diferenciar articulaciones congruentes de incongruentes. Así, nuestros resultados aseguraron la elevada sensibilidad y especificidad de esta técnica para diferenciar una articulación congruente de otra incongruente. Además, dentro de los tipos de IRC (tanto positiva como negativa), estos elevados porcentajes estadísticos se confirmaron (salvo excepciones) en los casos de IRC negativa. En cambio, en la IRC positiva, las mediciones fueron complicadas de realizar. Asimismo, al ampliar el margen de error en la medición de la IRC, se observó que se incrementaron las sensibilidades y especificidades de la IRC negativa, manteniéndose constantes las de la positiva. Por todo ello se concluyó que la artroscopia es un buen método para el diagnóstico de la incongruencia radiocubital y la valoración y medición de la IRC negativa; sin embargo, no resulta tan adecuada al tratarse de una IRC positiva

Chemical and mechanical stability of air annealed cathodic arc evaporated CrAlON coatings

This study reports the synthesis and characterization of ternary Cr-Al-O and quaternary Cr-Al-O-N coatings deposited by cathodic arc physical vapour deposition, for various nitrogen and oxygen mass flow ratios during the growth process. The composition, microstructure, indentation hardness and modulus of the films have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy, electron probe micro-analysis, X-ray diffraction, and nanoindentation techniques. The evolution of the microstructure and mechanical properties of the coatings after ambient air annealing from 800 °C up to 1100 °C have been investigated. As the oxygen to nitrogen mass flow increases, the as-deposited coatings exhibit lower hardness, higher roughness, lower crystallinity and a more marked columnar structure. At oxygen to nitrogen mass flow ratios bigger than 10/90, the coatings exhibit a stoichiometry of the type (CrAl)2+εO3−ε. Only the coatings with an oxygen to nitrogen mass flow ratio smaller than 10/90 retained nitrogen in their compositions. In all cases, the coatings developed a cubic fcc lattice structure. After annealing at 1100 °C the resulting microstructure showed a clear dependency upon the initial composition of the films. The evolution of the microstructure during the high temperature tests, as well as the analysis of the nanoindentation hardness, composition and thickness also provided valuable information about the combined effects of the thermal stability and the oxidation of the deposited coatings