Nutritional Functional Value and Therapeutic Utilization of Amaranth

Amaranthus is a dicotyledonous pseudocereal and one of the New World’s oldest crops, having originated in Mesoamerica, and was a major food crop of the Aztecs who named it Huautli or Xtes. Popularity in the cultivation and consumption of Amaranthus seed in the modern era began in the mid-1970s with the rediscovery and promotion of amaranth due to its superior nutritional attributes as compared to cereal grains. Today, amaranth is still included in the human diet because of its nutraceutical relevance. Amaranth is considered as a “superfood” because it contains high nutraceutical values such as a high-quality protein, unsaturated oils, squalene, dietary fiber, tocopherols, tocotrienols, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals. Compared to other grains, amaranth has a higher amount of protein, dietary fiber, calcium, iron, and magnesium; therefore although it is an ancient crop nowadays, it is considered a millennium crop or superfood with relevant nutraceutical values and its agronomic versatility. This comprehensive chapter is focused on amaranth composition and antioxidant properties and provides several potential medical benefits of its valuable components

PV solar investors versus the kingdom of spain: firts state victory, at least 27 more rounds to go

Abstract: The purpose of this work is to examine the matter relating to the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards that have been cancelled in the country where the arbitration was held. Recent decisions have seen the United Kingdom and United States distance themselves from what had hitherto been a majority trend: that an award cancelled in the country where the arbitration was held cannot be recognized and enforced in another jurisdiction.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

El efecto de Brexit en la validez de las clausulas arbitrales existentes con Londres como sede del arbitraje y en la decisión de las partes de pactar a futuro cláusulas arbitrales con Londres como sede del arbitraje

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la cuestión relativa al potencial efecto que la decisión del Reino Unido de abandonar la Unión Europea va a tener en, primero, las cláusulas arbitrales existentes en las que las partes han elegido el Londres (o un lugar del Reino Unido) como sede del arbitraje y, segundo, en la decisión de futuras partes contratantes de escoger Londres como sede del arbitraje. [ANGLÈS] The aim of this paper is to analyze the potential effect that the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (Brexit) will have, first, on the existing arbitration clauses in which the parties have chosen London (or a place inside the United Kingdom) as seat of arbitration and, second, on the decision of future contracting parties to agree on London as the seat of the arbitrationPeer ReviewedPostprint (updated version

Influence of Body Composition on Arterial Stiffness in Middle-Aged Adults: Healthy UAL Cross-Sectional Study

Background and objectives: Several anthropometric and body composition parameters have been linked to arterial stiffness (AS) as a biomarker of cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about which of these closely related factors is more strongly associated with AS. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship of different anthropometric and body composition parameters with AS in middle-aged adults. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 186 middle-aged participants (85 women, 101 men; age = 42.8 ± 12.6 years) evaluated as part of the Healthy UAL study, a population study conducted at the University of Almería with the main purpose of analyzing the etiology and risk factors associated with cardio-metabolic diseases. Anthropometric measures included neck, waist, and hip circumferences, as well as the waist-to-height ratio (WHtr). Bioimpedance-derived parameters included fat-free mass index (FFMI), fat mass index (FMI), and percent of body fat (%BF). AS was measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV). The relationships of interest were examined through stepwise regression analyses in which age and sex were also introduced as potential confounders. Results: Neck circumference (in the anthropometric model; R2: 0.889; β: age = 0.855, neck = 0.204) and FFMI (in the bio-impedance model; R2: 0.891; β: age = 0.906, FFMI = 0.199) emerged as significant cross-sectional predictors of AS. When all parameters were included together (both anthropometry and bio-impedance), both neck circumference and FFMI appeared again as being significantly associated with AS (R2: 0.894; β: age = 0.882, FFMI = 0.126, neck = 0.093). Conclusion: It was concluded that FFMI and neck circumference are correlated with AS regardless of potential confounders and other anthropometric and bioimpedance-derived parameters in middle-aged adults

The Impact of Enforcement Capabilities on the Effectiveness of Public Assessment on Occupational Safety

número del art. 6426(1) Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of enforcement capabilities on the efficacy of two public interventions to improve occupational safety in olive mills. (2) Method: The difference in efficacy was evaluated by comparing the risks detected in two groups in an initial assessment (with visits in the 2006–2008 period) to the risks detected in a later assessment, either after an intervention by Authorized Technicians with enforcement capabilities or after an intervention by Technical Advisors without enforcement capabilities (2011–2013). The assessments identified risks in the companies, according to a specific risk map for olive oil mill enterprises. (3) Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in the comparison of the risk reductions of the two groups, with regard to the initial assessment. The greatest reductions in risk were found in the companies that received interventions by Authorized Technicians with enforcement capabilities, in the sections of individual protection equipment and the storage of dangerous products. (4) Conclusion: Interventions by Authorized Technicians with enforcement capabilities are more effective than interventions by Technical Advisors without enforcement capabilities

Coexistence of Wolbachia with Buchnera aphidicola and a secondary symbiont in the aphid Cinara cedri.

Intracellular symbiosis is very common in the insect world. For the aphid Cinara cedri, we have identified by electron microscopy three symbiotic bacteria that can be characterized by their different sizes, morphologies, and electrodensities. PCR amplification and sequencing of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) genes showed that, in addition to harboring Buchnera aphidicola, the primary endosymbiont of aphids, C. cedri harbors a secondary symbiont (S symbiont) that was previously found to be associated with aphids (PASS, or R type) and an alpha-proteobacterium that belongs to the Wolbachia genus. Using in situ hybridization with specific bacterial probes designed for symbiont 16S rDNA sequences, we have shown that Wolbachia was represented by only a few minute bacteria surrounding the S symbionts. Moreover, the observed B. aphidicola and the S symbionts had similar sizes and were housed in separate specific bacterial cells, the bacteriocytes. Interestingly, in contrast to the case for all aphids examined thus far, the S symbionts were shown to occupy a similarly sized or even larger bacteriocyte space than B. aphidicola. These findings, along with the facts that C. cedri harbors the B. aphidicola strain with the smallest bacterial genome and that the S symbionts infect all Cinara spp. analyzed so far, suggest the possibility of bacterial replacement in these species

Evidence of circadian rhythms in non-photosynthetic bacteria?

Examples of circadian rhythms have been described in eukaryotic organisms and in photosynthetic bacteria, but direct proof of their existence in other prokaryotes is limited and has been largely ignored. The aim of this article is to review existing evidence and to present preliminary results that suggest that the heterotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas putida shows regular variations in its growth pattern synchronized with light/darkness cycles. We put forward the hypothesis that circadian regulation of certain processes can take place in non-photosynthetic prokaryotes and may represent an adaptative advantage in specific environments

Working with unknown

La experiencia “Trabajar con desconocidos” es un formato de trabajo en equipo entre estudiantes, que siendo estos siempre de diferentes procedencias culturales, están invitados a trabajar a lo largo del curso académico con un compañero que desconocen. Un ejercicio que investiga el conocimiento implícito de aprender nuestra cultura arquitectónica mediante la comparación con otra totalmente ajena. Esta experiencia, desarrollada por la UD Soriano de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid junto a cinco universidades internacionales, apuesta por formas de trabajo externas a la propia universidad. Formas de trabajo que se presentan en la disciplina de la arquitectura como un reto sobre el trabajo en equipo, y no solo con miembros que se conocen entre sí, que es lo que sucede habitualmente en las asignaturas taller como en Proyectos Arquitectónicos, sino con miembros realmente desconocidos entre sí, personas ajenas a nuestra cultura o afecciones intelectuales. La enseñanza universitaria debe afrontar esta carencia.“Working with strangers” is an experience of team working between students from different cultural origins, which are invited to work during the course with an unknown partner. It is an exercise that finds out, through the comparison with a totally different culture, the implicit knowledge of learning our own architectural culture. This experience, developed by the UD Soriano from the Architectural School of Madrid in collaboration with other five international universities, goes for ways of working that are external from university. Ways of working that face a challenge of team working with known partners and also with completely unknown ones. The first ones are so common in the way of teaching Architectural Projects subjects; the second ones are strange people foreign to our cultural and intellectual affections that will make us doubt and wonder. University education must address this lack.Peer Reviewe

Multiple Mobile Agent System Framework Suitable for Pervasive Computing

In this article we present a formal framework based on the action and reaction model that allows us to cover the dynamics of multi-agent systems (MAS) made up of mobile software agents suitable for scalable networks. This model is based on the operation of the human nervous centres. At the present time, we are applying it in works related with the control of biological systems and also in those related to the network management. In the case of systems based on mobile agents, the main problem is the different vision the agents have of the world and the impossibility of being aware of and synchronizing all the influences brought by the different agents acting on it. We have compared our proposal with the conventional MAS by solving an extension of the predator-prey problem. The results show the advantages of mobility as the size of the problem grows in a distributed system