Resiliencia en sistemas dunares litorales altamente antropizados: la restauración del sistema dunar de la playa del Remolar (Viladecans, Barcelona)

Con el fin de recuperar y restaurar el sistema playa-duna del Remolar (700 m de longitud y más de 100 m de ancho, de dirección 070N), se propusieron en 2004 una serie de medidas de restauración blanda. Para valorar dichas medidas, transcurridos 10 años, se efectuó un estudio de la morfología, sedimentología y de la vegetación del ecosistema. Se realizó el levantamiento de perfiles topográficos y de GPR, un análisis granulométrico y un análisis de las comunidades vegetales encontradas a lo largo de los perfiles topográficos. Los datos obtenidos han sido comparados con datos de un estudio previo, realizado en el 2004. Los resultados muestran que la morfología dunar se ha recuperado, originándose una nueva duna primaria. El sistema presenta actualmente un proceso mayor de agradación que de progradación. La vegetación ha recuperado una composición global de sistema dunar, con una comunidad típica de duna embrionaria y otras de duna primaria, en bandas paralelas a la costa. A pesar de esta mejora, la componente de tipo oportunista y ruderal de la vegetación de duna primaria denota una fuerte herencia antrópica en el sistema

High hydrostatic pressure enhances the formation of oleocanthal and oleacein in 'Arbequina' olive fruit

During olive oil production, the activity of endogenous enzymes plays a crucial role in determining the oil's phenolic composition. β-Glucosidase contributes to the formation of secoiridoids, while polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POX) are involved in their oxidation. This study investigated whether high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), known to cause cell disruption and modify enzymatic activity and food texture, could reduce PPO and POX activity. HHP was applied to ‘Arbequina’ olives at different settings (300 and 600 MPa, 3 and 6 min) before olive oil extraction. The tested HHP conditions were not effective in reducing the activity of PPO and POX in olives, resulting in oils with a lower phenolic content. However, HHP increased the secoiridoid content of olives, particularly oleocanthal and oleacein (>50%). The pigments in oils produced from HHP-treated olives were higher compared to the control, whereas squalene and α-tocopherol levels and the fatty acid profile remained the same. © 2023 The Authors</p

Optimizing the Malaxation Conditions to Produce an Arbequina EVOO with High Content of Bioactive Compounds

To meet the growing demand for high-quality extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) with healthpromoting properties and pleasant sensory properties, studies are needed to establish optimal production parameters. Bioactive components of EVOO, including phenolic compounds, carotenoids, chlorophylls, tocopherols, and squalene, contribute to its organoleptic properties and beneficial health effects. The aim of this study was to develop an Arbequina EVOO with high phenol content, particularly oleocanthal and oleacein, on a laboratory scale by analyzing the effects of different temperatures (20, 25, and 30 ◦C) and times (30 and 45 min) of malaxation. Higher temperatures decreased the levels of the phenolic compounds, secoiridoids, tocopherols, and squalene, but increased the pigments. EVOO with the highest quality was produced using malaxation parameters of 20 ◦C and 30 min, although oleocanthal and oleacein were higher at 30 and 25 ◦C, respectively. Overall, 20 ◦C and 30 min were the processing conditions that most favored the physiological and chemical processes that contribute to higher levels of bioactive compounds in the oil and diminished their degradation and oxidation processes

Comprehensive Fragment Screening of the SARS-CoV-2 Proteome Explores Novel Chemical Space for Drug Development

12 pags., 4 figs., 3 tabs.SARS-CoV-2 (SCoV2) and its variants of concern pose serious challenges to the public health. The variants increased challenges to vaccines, thus necessitating for development of new intervention strategies including anti-virals. Within the international Covid19-NMR consortium, we have identified binders targeting the RNA genome of SCoV2. We established protocols for the production and NMR characterization of more than 80 % of all SCoV2 proteins. Here, we performed an NMR screening using a fragment library for binding to 25 SCoV2 proteins and identified hits also against previously unexplored SCoV2 proteins. Computational mapping was used to predict binding sites and identify functional moieties (chemotypes) of the ligands occupying these pockets. Striking consensus was observed between NMR-detected binding sites of the main protease and the computational procedure. Our investigation provides novel structural and chemical space for structure-based drug design against the SCoV2 proteome.Work at BMRZ is supported by the state of Hesse. Work in Covid19-NMR was supported by the Goethe Corona Funds, by the IWBEFRE-program 20007375 of state of Hesse, the DFG through CRC902: “Molecular Principles of RNA-based regulation.” and through infrastructure funds (project numbers: 277478796, 277479031, 392682309, 452632086, 70653611) and by European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program iNEXT-discovery under grant agreement No 871037. BY-COVID receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement number 101046203. “INSPIRED” (MIS 5002550) project, implemented under the Action “Reinforcement of the Research and Innovation Infrastructure,” funded by the Operational Program “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (NSRF 2014–2020) and co-financed by Greece and the EU (European Regional Development Fund) and the FP7 REGPOT CT-2011-285950—“SEE-DRUG” project (purchase of UPAT’s 700 MHz NMR equipment). The support of the CERM/CIRMMP center of Instruct-ERIC is gratefully acknowledged. This work has been funded in part by a grant of the Italian Ministry of University and Research (FISR2020IP_02112, ID-COVID) and by Fondazione CR Firenze. A.S. is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [SFB902/B16, SCHL2062/2-1] and the Johanna Quandt Young Academy at Goethe [2019/AS01]. M.H. and C.F. thank SFB902 and the Stiftung Polytechnische Gesellschaft for the Scholarship. L.L. work was supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR, NMR-SCoV2-ORF8), the Fondation de la Recherche Médicale (FRM, NMR-SCoV2-ORF8), FINOVI and the IR-RMN-THC Fr3050 CNRS. Work at UConn Health was supported by grants from the US National Institutes of Health (R01 GM135592 to B.H., P41 GM111135 and R01 GM123249 to J.C.H.) and the US National Science Foundation (DBI 2030601 to J.C.H.). Latvian Council of Science Grant No. VPP-COVID-2020/1-0014. National Science Foundation EAGER MCB-2031269. This work was supported by the grant Krebsliga KFS-4903-08-2019 and SNF-311030_192646 to J.O. P.G. (ITMP) The EOSC Future project is co-funded by the European Union Horizon Programme call INFRAEOSC-03-2020—Grant Agreement Number 101017536. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEALPeer reviewe

<scp>ReSurveyEurope</scp>: A database of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe

AbstractAimsWe introduce ReSurveyEurope — a new data source of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe, compiled by a collaborative network of vegetation scientists. We describe the scope of this initiative, provide an overview of currently available data, governance, data contribution rules, and accessibility. In addition, we outline further steps, including potential research questions.ResultsReSurveyEurope includes resurveyed vegetation plots from all habitats. Version 1.0 of ReSurveyEurope contains 283,135 observations (i.e., individual surveys of each plot) from 79,190 plots sampled in 449 independent resurvey projects. Of these, 62,139 (78%) are permanent plots, that is, marked in situ, or located with GPS, which allow for high spatial accuracy in resurvey. The remaining 17,051 (22%) plots are from studies in which plots from the initial survey could not be exactly relocated. Four data sets, which together account for 28,470 (36%) plots, provide only presence/absence information on plant species, while the remaining 50,720 (64%) plots contain abundance information (e.g., percentage cover or cover–abundance classes such as variants of the Braun‐Blanquet scale). The oldest plots were sampled in 1911 in the Swiss Alps, while most plots were sampled between 1950 and 2020.ConclusionsReSurveyEurope is a new resource to address a wide range of research questions on fine‐scale changes in European vegetation. The initiative is devoted to an inclusive and transparent governance and data usage approach, based on slightly adapted rules of the well‐established European Vegetation Archive (EVA). ReSurveyEurope data are ready for use, and proposals for analyses of the data set can be submitted at any time to the coordinators. Still, further data contributions are highly welcome.</jats:sec

Oleacein and Oleocanthal: Key Metabolites in the Stability of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Abstract: The oxidative stability of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) depends on its composition, primarily, phenolic compounds and tocopherols, which are strong antioxidants, but also carotenoids, squalene, and fatty acids contribute. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of malaxation conditions and olive storage on the composition of 'Corbella' EVOO produced in an industrial mill to determine which parameters and compounds could give more stable oils. Although a longer malaxation time at a higher temperature and olive storage had a negative effect on the content of a-tocopherol, squalene, flavonoids, lignans, phenolic acids, and phenolic alcohols, the antioxidant capacity and oxidative stability of the oil were improved because of an increase in the concentration of oleacein (56-71%) and oleocanthal (42-67%). Therefore, these two secoiridoids could be crucial for better stability and a longer shelf life of EVOOs, and their enhancement should be promoted. A synergistic effect between secoiridoids and carotenoids could also contribute to EVOO stability. Additionally, 'Corbella' cultivar seems to be a promising candidate for the production of EVOOs with a high oleic/linoleic ratio. These findings signify a notable advancement and hold substantial utility and significance in addressing and enhancing EVOO stability

Targeted metabolic profiling of the revived ancient 'Corbella' olive cultivar during early maturation

'Corbella' is an ancient olive variety whose cultivation has recently been revived. 'Corbella' olives are used to produce extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), but when harvested at the reddish to black ripening stage the resulting oil is unstable and easily degraded. The aim of this work was to study the metabolic profile of 'Corbella' olives with a ripening index (RI) below 2 and to obtain data that could help produce more stable EVOOs. Olives with an RI < 1 yielded considerably less fat. Above an RI of 1, levels of phenolic compounds, carotenoids and squalene were lower, and that of α-tocopherol increased. The most abundant phenolic compounds were oleuropein aglycone and elenolic acid, suggesting a high hydrolytic activity of β-glucosidase in the fruit. At an RI of 1.96, the antioxidant capacity decreased slightly, while MUFA/PUFA and oleic/linoleic ratios were at their highest. A similar level of stability seems likely to be achieved with olives with an RI below 2