Characterization of the ozone effect over an α-amylase from Bacillus licheniformis

Starch usually soils industrial process equipment, hence demanding specific washing procedures to ensure optimal products and reliable process performance. α-Amylases have been included in detergent formulations to hydrolyse starch making easier its elimination. Ozone is frequently used as disinfectant but could also help to remove the starchy soils improving the cleaning process. To study the effect of ozone on the enzyme, the ozonation of an α-amylase from Bacillus licheniformis at pH 7.5 and 25°C was carried out. Enzyme activity assays showed that the relative α-amylase activity after ozonation decreased with increasing ozone/enzyme molar ratio exponentially. On the other hand, the ozone concentration after the reaction was negligible as some enzymatic activity remained, being the ozone consumption fast due to the high reaction kinetics of aromatic and sulfur-containing amino acids residues of the enzyme. The UV and MALDI-TOF mass spectra confirmed the oxidation of these amino acids, while the peptide bonds were unaffected. Therefore the loss of the α-amylase activity observed would be caused by the oxidation of amino acids residues directly involved in the hydrolysis mechanism such as tyrosine and histidine and/or by denaturation of the enzyme upon amino acid residues oxidation.Grupos de Investigación RNM332 y TEP21

El programa computacional UAMmero para evaluar el rendimiento de combustible y las emisiones contaminantes de vehículos pesados

UAMmero es un paquete computacional que simula el movimiento de un vehículo pesado en una calle o carretera. Calcula las fuerzas sobre un vehículo, el par y la potencia del motor necesarios para moverlo. También calcula el consumo de combustible del vehículo, su rendimiento de combustible, así como sus emisiones de bióxido de carbono y otros contaminantes. Los datos de entrada son las características del vehículo como el consumo de combustible para una pareja de valores del par del motor y las revoluciones por minuto del eje del motor (mapa de combustible del motor), las relaciones de transmisión de los engranajes de la caja de velocidades, los radios de las ruedas, la masa del motor, el momento de inercia del motor, el momento de inercia de la transmisión y la masa de la carga entre muchos otros parámetros. Muchos de los resultados de UAMmero se presentan gráficamente para visualizar fácilmente el desempeño de un vehículo pesado. En este trabajo se presenta una descripción de UAMmero y varios de los resultados de manera gráfica. Los resultados se muestran para un vehículo pesado de 9.752 toneladas con un motor de 350 caballos de potencia y una transmisión de diez velocidades, que transporta 10 toneladas de carga y que se mueve en un ciclo de conducción que consiste en tres partes con la rapidez preestablecida en cada una de ellas en función del tiempo. Ese ciclo de manejo ha sido utilizado por la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de los Estados Unidos de América para certificar vehículos pesados al consumo de combustible y a las emisiones de bióxido de carbono

Reconocimiento y cine: nuevas formas de aproximarnos

[ES] En las siguientes líneas se propone la utilización con fines docentes de obras cinematográficas. La justificación, con base filosófica, muestra la utilidad del formato cinematográfico para hacer presentes y comprender motivaciones y acciones. Las reflexiones que provoca la experiencia de empatía con los personajes es el inicio para abordar el tema del reconocimiento. El cual en el marco médico supone tener en cuenta las diferentes dimensiones en las que nos relacionamos las personas. Reconocer al otro, tal y como se nos presenta, es atender a las diferencias y procurar una mejor relación entre el médico y el paciente. El análisis de varios filmes podrá servir de estímulo para la consideración del reconocimiento como uno de los términos claves para comprender cómo nos relacionamos dentro de las sociedades con pluralidad de formas de vida y cosmovisiones. Consideramos que el esfuerzo de tratar estos temas deriva en una mayor proximidad con el paciente y una mejor atención. [EN] Along the following lines we propose the use of films for educational purposes. Our main argument, based on philosophical grounds, shows the use of film format to emphasize and understand people’s motivations and actions. The reflections brought about by empathy with the characters are the first step in the approach of the topic of recognition, a term that in the medical framework involves taking into account the various aspects of inter-human relationships. Recognition of “the other” as he/she stands, implies addressing differences and providing a better doctor-patient relationship. The analysis of several films might encourage the acknowledgement of recognition as one of the key concepts to understand our ways of relating within plural societies with different lifestyles and different outlooks on the world. We believe that the effort made in dealing with such topics results in greater closeness to the patient and, therefore, better care

PPARGC1A gene promoter methylation as a biomarker of insulin secretion and sensitivity in response to glucose challenges

Methylation in CpG sites of the PPARGC1A gene (encoding PGC1-α) has been associated with adiposity, insulin secretion/sensitivity indexes and type 2 diabetes. We assessed the association between the methylation profile of the PPARGC1A gene promoter gene in leukocytes with insulin secretion/sensitivity indexes in normoglycemic women. A standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and an abbreviated version of the intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) were carried out in n = 57 Chilean nondiabetic women with measurements of plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide. Bisulfite-treated DNA from leukocytes was evaluated for methylation levels in six CpG sites of the proximal promoter of the PPARGC1A gene by pyrosequencing (positions -816, -783, -652, -617, -521 and -515). A strong correlation between the DNA methylation percentage of different CpG sites of the PPARGC1A promoter in leukocytes was found, suggesting an integrated epigenetic control of this region. We found a positive association between the methylation levels of the CpG site -783 with the insulin sensitivity Matsuda composite index (rho = 0.31; p = 0.02) derived from the OGTT. The CpG hypomethylation in the promoter position -783 of the PPARGC1A gene in leukocytes may represent a biomarker of reduced insulin sensitivity after the ingestion of glucose

Effect of immunocastration on behaviour and blood parameters (cortisol and testosterone) of Holstein bulls

To evaluate the effect that immunocastration has on behaviour, testosterone and cortisol levels of feedlot Holstein bulls, 720 intact animals aged between 7 and 8 months, weighing 232±1.19 kg were randomly assigned to two treatments: immunocastration using the Bopriva vaccine and a placebo (360 animals per treatment). The bulls were slaughtered at day 239 of treatment. Animals were vaccinated on days 1, 21, 101, and 181, and on those same days testosterone levels were measured; while cortisol, glucose and creatin kinase measurements were done on day 181 and during exanguination at slaughter. Sexual, aggressive and social behaviours were evaluated and it was found that intact bulls showed a higher average of head butts, mounting, threats, flehmen sign and sniffing (P<0.05), no differences were found for vocalisations, lowering of the head and grooming (P>0.05). Testosterone levels in intact bulls remained at 0.47ng/mL throughout the study, however, by day 181 differences (P<0.05) were observed in immunised bulls, with values of 0.22ng/mL. At slaughter, testosterone levels were 0.21 ± 0.06 ng/mL in immunocastrated bulls and 0.54 ± 0.06 ng/mL in the placebo group. The use of immunocastration with Bopriva has shown to be effective to reduce testosterone, sexual and aggressive behaviours on Holstein bulls

Primeros resultados de la caracterización del contenido estomacal de juveniles 0+ de atún rojo Thunnus thynnus

Stomach contents from 19 dead young bluefin tuna were analyzed in the framework of the SELFDOTT project (From capture based to SELF-sustained aquaculture and Domestication Of bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus). The fish were captured close to Cartagena (Murcia- Spain) between the 3rd and the 16th of October 2008, using the «curricán» method (a Spanish term meaning to fish by trailing a baited line along behind a boat). The first stomach analyses show that cephalopods are the main prey (53% in weight 49% in number), followed by fishes (28%, 24%) and crustaceans (2%, 27%). The main prey species is the squid Illex coindetti.Proyecto SELFDOT

5to. Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad. Memoria académica

El V Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad, CITIS 2019, realizado del 6 al 8 de febrero de 2019 y organizado por la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, ofreció a la comunidad académica nacional e internacional una plataforma de comunicación unificada, dirigida a cubrir los problemas teóricos y prácticos de mayor impacto en la sociedad moderna desde la ingeniería. En esta edición, dedicada a los 25 años de vida de la UPS, los ejes temáticos estuvieron relacionados con la aplicación de la ciencia, el desarrollo tecnológico y la innovación en cinco pilares fundamentales de nuestra sociedad: la industria, la movilidad, la sostenibilidad ambiental, la información y las telecomunicaciones. El comité científico estuvo conformado formado por 48 investigadores procedentes de diez países: España, Reino Unido, Italia, Bélgica, México, Venezuela, Colombia, Brasil, Estados Unidos y Ecuador. Fueron recibidas un centenar de contribuciones, de las cuales 39 fueron aprobadas en forma de ponencias y 15 en formato poster. Estas contribuciones fueron presentadas de forma oral ante toda la comunidad académica que se dio cita en el Congreso, quienes desde el aula magna, el auditorio y la sala de usos múltiples de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, cumplieron respetuosamente la responsabilidad de representar a toda la sociedad en la revisión, aceptación y validación del conocimiento nuevo que fue presentado en cada exposición por los investigadores. Paralelo a las sesiones técnicas, el Congreso contó con espacios de presentación de posters científicos y cinco workshops en temáticas de vanguardia que cautivaron la atención de nuestros docentes y estudiantes. También en el marco del evento se impartieron un total de ocho conferencias magistrales en temas tan actuales como la gestión del conocimiento en la universidad-ecosistema, los retos y oportunidades de la industria 4.0, los avances de la investigación básica y aplicada en mecatrónica para el estudio de robots de nueva generación, la optimización en ingeniería con técnicas multi-objetivo, el desarrollo de las redes avanzadas en Latinoamérica y los mundos, la contaminación del aire debido al tránsito vehicular, el radón y los riesgos que representa este gas radiactivo para la salud humana, entre otros

Structural and Physicochemical Characteristics of One-Step PAMAM Dendrimeric Nanoparticles

International audienceThis is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain

In Vitro and Ex Vivo Models for Screening Topical Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Skin inflammation occurs as an immune response to various stimuli such as ultraviolet light, irritants, or any type of skin barrier injury. Finding safe and effective drugs to combat skin inflammation remains a research challenge. Ethical and legal considerations in animal testing encourage the development of in vitro and ex vivo models for the detection of skin inflammation. This report presents an updated review of non-animal study models available for screening drugs with anti-inflammatory potential. It includes a description of the basic methods used to inhibit protein denaturation and red blood cell membrane stability. Three in vitro inhibition assay methods for enzymes relevant to the skin inflammatory process are then described. The development of cell culture models is described: relatively simple and easy-to-produce two-dimensional (2D) skin cell cultures that allow assessment of response to a given stimulus, three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures that better mimic human skin physiology by more accurately replicating mechanical and chemical signals, and vascularized 3D skin models with dynamic perfusion and microfluidic devices known as skin on a chip. Finally, ex vivo skin models are presented that could more accurately represent human skin in terms of structure, cell signaling mechanisms, and absorption effects. Although the current development of models without the use of animals is promising, improvements and refinements are needed to make the models more suitable as screening platforms for topical anti-inflammatory drugs