A method for soil health assessment in the conversion to organic farming

This paper was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference of the Colloquium of Organic Researchers (COR). The regulation for the assessment of the conversion to organic farming establishes the use of soil/produce pollution and the type of agricultural practices as indicators of performance. However, these indicators don’t reflect the complexity of the soil ecosystem and soil health. Therefore, complementary indicators were sought (soil biostructure and field capacity), and a specific three-steps method for the assessment and monitoring of soil health during the conversion process was developed

Policy-relevant research and integrative indicators in the conversion to organic farming

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. Council Regulation 2092/91 specifies the general standards for the production methods of organic products in Europe. The criteria for the conversion process assessment, though, are largely defined by the national Certification Bodies. Assessment indicators mostly used are (a) type of agricultural practices (whether within organic standards or not) and (b) pollution in soil or produce. However, the conversion process is complex and its aims go beyond the achievement of soil fertility as indicated by these indicators. Soil health and socio-economic indicators need to be essential elements in the organic farming regulation policy. The research reported here (partial result of a four-years Ph.D. research) applies policy-relevant research to identifying conversion process aims within a systems perspective, as well as integrative indicators to assess and monitor soil health. In this paper, only the research on soil health indicators is shown

Recent developments in the applications of palladium complexes bearing N-heterocyclic carbene ligands

N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have become ubiquitous ligands in the preparation of metal complexes with new catalytic applications. Mainly due to their applications in C-C bond formation reactions, a plethora of novel palladium-NHC complexes has been described, and a large number of review articles describing their chemistry have been published. In an attempt to provide a new vision of the topic, this article will focus our attention on the development of new palladium complexes with NHC ligands, paying special attention to their applications in catalytic processes other than the classical C-C coupling reactions. This article is divided in the following sections: i) design of reusable Pd-NHC complexes, ii) latest advances in the use of Pd- NHC complexes in homogenous catalysis and, iii) other applications of Pd-NHC complexes

Targeting TLR4 with ApTOLL Improves Heart Function in Response to Coronary Ischemia Reperfusion in Pigs Undergoing Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) contributes to the pathogenesis of coronary ischemia/reperfusion (IR). To test whether the new TLR4 antagonist, ApTOLL, may prevent coronary IR damage, we administered 0.078 mg/kg ApTOLL or Placebo in pigs subjected to IR, analyzing the levels of cardiac troponins, matrix metalloproteinases, pro-, and anti-inflammatory cytokines, heart function, and tissue integrity over a period of 7 days after IR. Our results show that ApTOLL reduced cardiac troponin-1 24 h after administration, improving heart function, as detected by a significant recovery of the left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) and the shortening fraction (FS) cardiac parameters. The extension of necrotic and fibrotic areas was also reduced, as detected by Evans blue/2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, Hematoxylin/Eosine, and Masson Trichrome staining of heart sections, together with a significant reduction in the expression of the extracellular matrix-degrading, matrix metalloproteinase 9. Finally, the expression of the following cytokines, CCL1, CCL2, MIP1-A-B, CCL5, CD40L, C5/C5A, CXCL1, CXCL10, CXCL11, CXCL12, G-CSF, GM-CSF, ICAM-1, INF-g, IL1-a, ILI-b, IL-1Ra, IL2, IL4, IL5, IL6, IL8, IL10, IL12, IL13, IL16, IL17-A, IL17- E, IL18, IL21, IL27, IL32, MIF, SERPIN-E1, TNF-a, and TREM-1, were also assayed, detecting a pronounced decrease of pro-inflammatory cytokines after 7 days of treatment with ApTOLL. Altogether, our results show that ApTOLL is a promising new tool for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).post-print3782 K

Synthesis and Properties of Chelating N-Heterocyclic Carbene Rhodium(I) Complexes: Synthetic Experiments in Current Organometallic Chemistry.

The preparation and characterization of two air-stable Rh(I) complexes bearing a chelating N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand is described. The synthesis involves the preparation of a Ag(I)-NHC complex and its use as carbene transfer agent to a Rh(I) precursor. The so obtained complex can be further reacted with carbon monoxide to give the corresponding carbonyl derivative. The students will be able to identify the products using standard characterization techniques such as NMR and IR spectroscopy. The required equipment is typically available in most of the standard laboratories for undergraduate students. (Contains 2 figures and 3 schemes.

Application of IoT in Healthcare: Keys to Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

We live in complex times in the health, social, political, and energy spheres, and we must be aware of and implement new trends in intelligent social health systems powered by the Internet of Things (IoT). Sustainable development, energy efficiency, and public health are interrelated parameters that can transform a system or an environment for the benefit of people and the planet. The integration of sensors and smart devices should promote energy efficiency and ensure that sustainable development goals are met. This work is carried out according to a mixed approach, with a literature review and an analysis of the impact of the Sustainable Development Goals on the applications of the Internet of Things and smart systems. In the analysis of results, the following questions are answered about these systems and applications: (a) Are IoT applications key to the improvement of people’s health and the environment? (b) Are there research and case studies implemented in cities or territories that demonstrate the effectiveness of IoT applications and their benefits to public health? (c) What sustainable development indicators and objectives can be assessed in the applications and projects analyzed

Y-Shaped Tris-N-Heterocyclic-Carbene Ligand for the Preparation of Multifunctional Catalysts of Iridium, Rhodium, and Palladium

A series of homo- and hetero-dimetallic complexes of Ir, Rh, and Pd have been obtained using our previously reported Y-shaped tris-NHC ligand. The new complexes can be obtained through the isolation of the corresponding monometallic intermediates (in which the ligand always coordinates in a chelating form) or by a onepot stepwise synthetic protocol that avoids the isolation of the intermediate. The catalytic properties of the Ir−Pd complexes have been explored in two tandem processes: dehalogenation/ transfer hydrogenation of haloacetophenones and Suzukicoupling/transfer hydrogenation of p-bromoacetophenone. These two complexes have been also tested in two model reactions typically catalyzed by iridium (cyclization of 2-aminophenyl ethyl alcohol to yield indole) and palladium (acylation of bromobenzene with n-hexanal)