BIOCHEM: A new methodology for designing mixed-culture bioprocesses assisted with bioenergetics models

10th World Congress of Chemical Engineering, Barcelona, Spain, 1st-5th October, 2017Mixed culture fermentations (MCFs) are recognised as an inexpensive means to produce high-added-valueproducts fromlow-grade biomass However, developing a new bioprocess based on this technology is a challenging task. Although mixed cultures are advantageous when treating complex substrates in a continuous operation they also pose a fundamental challenge: they are complex and uncharacterized and we are not able to fully understand the mechanisms that control these populations. In consequence, it is difficult to control the operation and to foresee the outcome of the process. In this context, we present ERA-NET IB project BIOCHEM project aiming at designing a methodology for the development of a novel process using MCFs focusing on two aspects: reaching a high productivity and achieving a high selectivity of the desired product(s)Ministerio de Economía, Industría y Competitividad (PCIN-2016-102

Utility of a Short Neuropsychological Protocol for Detecting HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders in Patients with Asymptomatic HIV-1 Infection

Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is a chronic disease that affects ~40 million people worldwide. HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are common in individuals with HIV-1 Infection, and represent a recent public health problem. Here we evaluate the performance of a recently proposed short protocol for detecting HAND by studying 60 individuals with HIV-1-Infection and 60 seronegative controls from a Caribbean community in Barranquilla, Colombia. The short evaluation protocol used significant neuropsychological tests from a previous study of asymptomatic HIV-1 infected patients and a group of seronegative controls. Brief screening instruments, i.e., the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and the International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS), were also applied. Using machine-learning techniques, we derived predictive models of HAND status, and evaluated their performance with the ROC curves. The proposed short protocol performs exceptionally well yielding sensitivity, specificity, and overall prediction values >90%, and better predictive capacity than that of the MMSE and IHDS. Community-specific cut-off values for HAND diagnosis, based on the MMSE and IHDS, make this protocol suitable for HAND screening in individuals from this Caribbean community. This study shows the effectivity of a recently proposed short protocol to detect HAND in individuals with asymptomatic HIV-1-Infection. The application of community-specific cut-off values for HAND diagnosis in the clinical setting may improve HAND screening accuracy and facilitate patients’ treatment and follow-up. Further studies are needed to assess the performance of this protocol in other Latin American populations

Designing mixed-culture bioprocesses by means of bioenergetics models

Symposium “Novel Anaerobes 2017”, 10th November 2017 University of Minho, Braga, PortugalMixed culture fermentations (MCFs) are recognised as an inexpensive means to produce high-added-valueproducts from low-grade biomass. However, developing a new bioprocess based on this technology is a challenging task. Although mixed cultures are advantageous when treating complex substrates in a continuous operation, they also pose a fundamental challenge: we are not able to fully understand the mechanisms that control these populations. In consequence, it is difficult to control the operation and to foresee the outcome of the process. In this context, BIOCHEM project (Figure 1) aims at designing a methodology for the development of a novel process based on MCFs focusing on two aspects: reaching a high productivity and achieving a high selectivity of the desired product(s)This activity is supported by ERA-IB-2 project BIOCHEM (PCIN2016-102), funded by MINECO, and by the Spanish Ministry of Education through the FPU scholarship (FPU14/05457

A metabolic model for targeted volatile fatty acids production by cofermentation of carbohydrates and proteins

Anaerobic mixed-culture fermentations are interesting processes to valorise organic wastes by converting them to volatile fatty acids. One of the main issues is that certain operational conditions (e.g. pH or different substrate concentrations) can vary significantly the product spectrum. So far, there are no tools that take into the account the characteristic features of cofermentation processes, which hinders the possibility of designing processes that use real wastes as substrates. In this work a mathematical model was developed for the production of volatile fatty acids from organic wastes with a high concentration of carbohydrates and proteins. The model reproduces satisfactorily experimental results and is also able of giving mechanistic insight into the interactions between carbohydrates and proteins that explain the observed changes in the product spectrum. We envision this model as the core of an early-stage design tool for anaerobic cofermentation processes, as shown in this work with different examplesThe authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU14/05457) and project BIOCHEM (ERA-IB-2 7th call, ERA-IB-16-052) funded by MINECO (PCIN 2016-102). The authors belong to the Galician Competitive Research Group ED431C2017/029 and to the CRETUS Strategic Partnership (ED431E 2018/01), both programmes are co-funded by ERDF (EU)S

Targeted conversion of protein and glucose waste streams to valatile fatty acids by metabolic models

Mixed-culture fermentations are recognised as suitable processes to valorise organic wastes and convert them into added-value products. One of the main issues of these processes is that the stoichiometry of the fermentations is highly dependent on operational conditions such as the pH or the concentrations of the different substrates. In this work we developed a mathematical model for the production of volatile fatty acids from wastes featuring high concentrations of carbohydrates and proteins. The model reproduces experimental results, predicting the tendencies of the product spectrum when varying pH values and at different proportions of carbohydrates and proteins in the feeding. This model can be the core of a tool for the computer-aided design of mixed-culture fermentationsThe authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU14/05457) and ERA-IB-2 project BIOCHEM (PCIN 2016-102) funded by MINECO. The authors belong to the Galician Competitive Research Group ED431C2017/029 and to the CRETUS Strategic Partnership (ED431E 2018/01), both programmes are co-funded by FEDER (UE

Understanding the effect of trace elements supplementation on volatile fatty acids production from proteins

This investigation studies the impact of trace elements supplementation on protein anaerobic conversion into volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Two continuous reactors were operated with two model substrates, casein and gelatin, at acid (pH 5) and neutral (pH 7) conditions, with the addition of macro and micronutrients. Micronutrients increased the acidification degree of both proteins from 40% to 50% to more than 60% only at pH 7, which was consistent with a greater amino acid consumption at neutral conditions. Furthermore, trace elements modified the process selectivity, promoting valeric acids production and other variations dependant on protein composition. Isomerisation and chain elongation processes were identified as a consequence of the observed deviations between amino acid consumption and VFA production. Overall, this study demonstrated that the supplementation of micronutrients can be useful to enhance and steer the anaerobic fermentation of protein-rich streamsThis project has received funding from the Spanish Government through the European Union’s ERA-IB programme under grant agreement number PCIN-2016-102 and from the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU14/05457). The authors belong to a Galician Competitive Research Group (ED431C2017/029; ED431E 2018/01), co-funded by Xunta de Galicia (Spain) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF-EU)S

Chain elongation may occur in protein mixed-culture fermentation without supplementing electron donor compounds

This study focuses on verifying the occurrence of elongation processes during protein mixed culture fermentation, without the supplementation of electron donor compounds. During casein mixed-culture fermentation at pH 5, it was observed that longer chain volatile fatty acid production increased, which could not be justified by the associated amino acid consumption. Consequently, the occurrence of chain elongation processes was hypothesized. To verify this hypothesis, three casein batch tests, with and without acetic acid initial supplementation, were performed at pH 5. The results suggest that acetic and propionic acids are indeed consumed to selectively generate n-valeric acid through the coupling with electron donor amino acids, whose consumption was further verified through the amino acid analysis. Prolonged simultaneous availability of suitable amino acids and short chain volatile fatty acids and an acid equivalent concentration threshold were identified as key parameters for the occurrence of chain elongation. The supplementation of acetic acid at the beginning of the test changed the selectivity of the elongation process, promoting n-butyric and iso-valeric production. The associated mechanisms were preliminary conceptualized, constituting a first step for further studies on the subject. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating the feasibility of chain elongation processes during protein mixed culture fermentation without electron donor supplementationThis project has received funding from the Spanish Government through BIOCHEM project (PCIN-2016-102, ERA-IB-2 7th call, ERA-IB-16-052)S

Protein composition determines the preferential consumption of amino acids during anaerobic mixed-culture fermentation

This research was funded by the Spanish Government through BIOCHEM project (PCIN-2016-102, ERA-IB-2 7th call, ERA-IB-16-052) and by the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU14/05457). Authors belong to the CRETUS Strategic Partnership (ED431E 2018/01) and to the Galician Competitive Research Group (ED431C2017/029). All these programs are co-funded by ERDF (EU)S

Stories of pregnant women diagnosed with HIV, in the health center "Muey" Santa Elena

Introducción.  El embarazo es una etapa de gran importancia en la vida de las mujeres, sin embargo, cuando una mujer es diagnosticada con VIH, el embarazo puede convertirse en un momento de gran incertidumbre y preocupación. Objetivo.   El presente trabajo busca demostrar los resultados obtenidos de los relatos de las mujeres embarazadas diagnosticadas con VIH en el centro de salud José Luis Tamayo “Muey”. Metodología. El trabajo adopta un enfoque cualitativo lo que profundiza el análisis de los fenómenos, se establecieron criterios de inclusión para garantizar la objetividad y relevancia del estudio, como ser embarazadas, tener un diagnóstico de VIH y tener la mayoría de edad, así como la aplicación de un software de análisis cualitativo Atlas ti versión 9. Resultados. Se evidenciaron las experiencias de mujeres gestantes diagnosticadas con VIH por medio de entrevistas a profundidad para identificar de forma cualitativa las situaciones experimentadas por estos grupos vulnerables. Conclusión.  Finalmente, se obtiene del análisis de las respuestas de las madres con VIH que se encuentran en gestación muestra que el embarazo con VIH puede ser una experiencia muy difícil, ya que estas mujeres enfrentan diversos desafíos emocionales y de salud. Área de estudio: enfermería.Introduction. Pregnancy is a particularly momentous time in a woman's life, however, when a woman is diagnosed with HIV, pregnancy can become a time of great uncertainty and worry. Objective. This paper seeks to demonstrate the results obtained from the accounts of pregnant women diagnosed with HIV at the José Luis Tamayo "Muey" health center. Methodology. The work adopts a qualitative approach which deepens the analysis of the phenomena, inclusion criteria were established to ensure the objectivity and relevance of the study, such as being pregnant, having an HIV diagnosis and being of legal age, as well as the application of a qualitative analysis software Atlas its version 9. Results. The experiences of pregnant women diagnosed with HIV were evidenced through in-depth interviews to qualitatively identify the situations experienced by these vulnerable groups. Conclusion. Finally, analysis of the responses of HIV-positive expectant mothers shows that pregnancy with HIV can be a difficult experience, as these women face several emotional and health challenges

Respuesta del chile habanero (Capsicum chinense L. Jacq) al suministro de abono orgánico en Tabasco, México | Response of habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense L. Jacq) organic fertilizer supply in Tabasco, México

Los abonos orgánicos mantienen la dinámica del suelo, el desarrollo vegetal y la vida macro y microbiana y representan una alternativa para mejorar el nivel económico de los productores, mejorar el sistema alimentario y contrarrestar el problema de desnutrición en las comunidades rurales. Se evaluó el efecto de cuatro abonos orgánicos sobre el crecimiento de la planta y los rendimientos del fruto fresco. Los tratamientos fueron: composta, lombricomposta, infusión de estiércol y bokashi. En la altura de planta se observó que el tratamiento infusión de estiércol superó al testigo con 202%. Con respeto al diámetro del tallo, se observó en el tratamiento con lombricomposta que las plantas tuvieron 115% mayor diámetro de tallo que las plantas testigo. Los rendimientos de fruto fresco fueron de 17.6 t/ha en el tratamiento con lombricomposta y 16.00 t/ha con la infusión de estiércol, mientras que en los tratamientos con bokashi y composta los rendimientos no rebasaron las 12.8 t/ha. El testigo experimental tuvo un rendimiento de 6.00 t/ha. Estos resultados indican que el uso de los abonos orgánicos representa una alternativa económica, ecológica y sustentable en la producción de chile. Palabras clave: Abonos orgánicos, chile habanero, alternativas, sustentable. ABSTRACT Organic fertilizers maintain soil dynamics, plant growth and macro and microbial life, and are an alternative to improve the economic status of farmers, improve the food system and counter the problem of malnutrition in rural communities. The effect of four organic fertilizers on plant growth and yield of fresh fruit was evaluated. The treatments were: compost, vermicompost, manure tea and bokashi you. Plant height was 202% higher in plants treated with manure tea relative to that of control plants. Plant stem diameter was 115% higher in plants treated with vermicompost compared to that of the control plants. Fresh fruit yields were from 17.6 t / ha in plants treated with vermicompost and 16.0 t / in plants treated with manure tea. Fresh fruit yields in pants treated with compost and bokashi were lower than 12.8 t / ha. Control plants showed a fresh fruit yield of 6.00 t / ha. These results show that the use of organic fertilizers is an economical, ecological and sustainable alternative for pepper production. Key words: Organic fertilizers, habanero pepper, alternatives, sustainable