Enzyme-Catalyzed Polymerization of Kraft Lignin from Eucalyptus globulus: Comparison of Bacterial and Fungal Laccases Efficacy

Kraft lignin, a side-stream from the pulp and paper industry, can be modified by laccases for the synthesis of high added-value products. This work aims to study different laccase sources, including a bacterial laccase from Streptomyces ipomoeae (SiLA) and a fungal laccase from Myceliophthora thermophila (MtL), for kraft lignin polymerization. To study the influence of some variables in these processes, a central composite design (CCD) with two continuous variables (enzyme concentration and reaction time) and three levels for each variable was used. The prediction of the behavior of the output variables (phenolic content and molecular weight of lignins) were modelled by means of response surface methodology (RSM). Moreover, characterization of lignins was performed by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and different nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy techniques. In addition, antioxidant activity was also analyzed. Results showed that lignin polymerization (referring to polymerization as lower phenolic content and higher molecular weight) occurred by the action of both laccases. The enzyme concentration was the most influential variable in the lignin polymerization reaction within the range studied for SiLA laccase, while the most influential variable for MtL laccase was the reaction time. FTIR and NMR characterization analysis corroborated lignin polymerization results obtained from the RSM.This research was funded by Comunidad de Madrid via Project SUSTEC-CM S2018/EMT-4348; MICINN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe” via Project RTI2018-096080-B-C22; and MICINN via Project TED2021-132122B-C21

Influence of Cellulose Characteristics on Pyrolysis Suitability

: Cellulose is the most abundant component of biomass and the one that requires the most activation energy (Ea) for pyrolysis. In this study, the dependence of Ea on the intrinsic cellulose characteristics, such as the degree of polymerization (DP), crystallinity, and crystal size, was studied in different cellulose samples, including samples from Eucalyptus globulus, Ulmus minor, Linun usitatissimum, Olea europaea, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Populus alba. Then, to describe the pyrolytic degradation of cellulose, the Ozawa–Flynn–Wall kinetic method was the most appropriate among the isoconversional models studied. An acceptable quadratic relationship of R2 > 0.9 between the Ea values of the different cellulose samples with their corresponding DP, crystallinity index, and crystal size values was found. Therefore, low crystallinity and low-to-medium crystal size values are desired to obtain lower Ea values for cellulose pyrolysis. On the other hand, DP did not present a clear effect on Ea in the studied DP rangeThis research was funded by Comunidad de Madrid and MCIU/AEI/FEDER, EU via Projects SUSTEC-CM S2018/EMT-4348 and RTI2018-096080-B-C22, respectively, and the Regional Ministry of Innovation, Science and Enterprise, Government of the Junta de Andalucía (Operational Programme FEDER Andalusia 2014-2020. Project UHU-1255540), Spain Universidad de Jaén is acknowledged for Olea europaea material. Silviculture and Forest Management Department (Forest Research Center, INIA, CSIC) is acknowledged for Robinia pseudoacacia and Populus alba materials. We thank the personnel at Puerta de Hierro Forest Breeding Centre (Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico) and the Spanish Elm Breeding Program for providing the Ulmus minor material. Finally, La Montañesa pulp mill (Lecta Group, Spain) and Celesa (Spain) are acknowledged for Eucalyptus globulus and Linun usitatissimum materials, respectivel

Spatial and temporal synchronicity in the phenological events of Prosopis flexuosa in the Central Monte Desert = Sincronización espacial y temporal de los eventos fenológicos de Prosopis flexuosa en el Desierto del Monte Central

Some desert plant species are capable of using underground water and are therefore independent of rainfall events. Species of the genus Prosopis are thought to be facultative phreatophytes, since they have deep and shallow roots that allow them explore water from underground layers and from sub-surface soil horizons. We created a seven-year series of phenological data in order to make comparisons between two natural Reserves of Mendoza province (Ñacuñán and Telteca) with different rainfall regimes and accessi- bility of Prosopis flexuosa trees to water. Percentage of trees in each phenological phase, date of maximum expression, and intensity of each phenological phase were recorded. We found that the trees had a similar date for leafing and flowering across years and sites, even with very different rainfall regimes. However, pod maturation dates varied significantly, ocurring 37 days sooner in Telteca. A second peak of leaves and flowers were recorded at both sites, being highly variable and non-synchronous in most cases, suggesting a quick response to rainfall events. The ability of P. flexuosa to respond to unpredictable rainfall pulses could be an important adaptation to keep ecosystem services functioning, even though associated pollinators and seed dispersers could get decoupled from changes in phenological events.Algunas plantas desérticas pueden utilizar agua subterránea volviéndose indepen-dientes de los eventos de lluvia. Se cree que las especies de Prosopis son freatófitas facultativas ya que tienen raíces profundas y superficiales que les permiten explorar capas subterráneas y sub-superficiales del suelo en busca de agua. Creamos una serie de datos fenológicos de siete años para comparar dos Reservas naturales de la provincia de Mendoza (Ñacuñán y Telteca) con diferentes regímenes de precipitación y accesibilidad de Prosopis flexuosa al agua. Se registraron: porcentaje de árboles en cada fase fenológica, fecha de máxima expresión, e intensidad de cada fase fenológica. El inicio del desarrollo de hojas y flores fue similar a través de años y sitios, incluso con diferentes regímenes de lluvia. La fecha de maduración de los frutos sin embargo, fue significativamente (37 días) más corto en Telteca. Una segunda cohorte de hojas y flores, muy variable y no sincrónica en la mayoría de los casos, se registró en ambos sitios, sugiriendo una rápida respuesta a pulsos de lluvia. Esta capacidad de respuesta de P. flexuosa puede jugar un papel impor-tante al mantener funcionando los servicios ecosistémicos, aunque los polinizadores y dispersores de semillas asociados podrían desacoplarse de los eventos fenológicos.EEA JunínFil: Debandi, Guillermo Oscar. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Junín; ArgentinaFil: Rossi, Bertilde E. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Villagra, Pablo Eugenio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Científico Tecnológico Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; ArgentinaFil: Giantomasi, María Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Científico Tecnológico Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; ArgentinaFil: Mantován, Nancy G. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentin

Valorization of soda lignin from wheat straw solid-state fermentation: Production of oleogels.

This work describes the solid-state fermentation(SSF) of wheat straw with Streptomyces sp. MDG147 and further soda-pulping process to obtain wheat straw soda lignins(WSLs). Subsequently, these WSLs were NCO-functionalized with 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate and then dispersed in castor oil to achieve stable oleogels. The WSLs were characterized using standard analytical methods, gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. Rheological properties of oleogels were determinedby means of small-amplitude oscillatory shear and viscous flow measurements. The enzymatic profile and production oflignin−carbohydrate complexes were recorded along the growth time of Streptomyces, whose life cycle was achieved after 7 days. NCO-functionalized WSL was able to chemically interact with castor oil via urethane bonding, providing oleogels with suitable rheological characteristics. Linear viscoelastic functions and viscosity values of oleogels were higher when wheat straw was submitted to SSF using Streptomyces, turning out in stronger oleogels.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitivida

Significant Release of Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients From the Shallow Submarine Volcano Tagoro (Canary Islands) Based on Seven-Year Monitoring

Tagoro, the shallow submarine volcano that erupted south of El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain) in October 2011, has been intensely monitored for over 7 years, from the early eruptive stage to the current degassing stage characterized by moderate hydrothermal activity. Here, we present a detailed study of the emissions of inorganic macronutrients (NO2– + NO3–, PO4, and Si(OH)4) comprising a dataset of over 3300 samples collected through three different sampling methodologies. Our results show a significant nutrient enrichment throughout the whole studied period, up to 8.8-fold (nitrate), 4.0-fold (phosphate), and 16.3-fold (silicate) in the water column, and larger enrichments of phosphate (10.5-fold) and silicate (325.4-fold), but not of nitrate, in the samples collected directly from the vents. We also provide some preliminary results showing ammonium (NH4+) concentrations up to 1.97 μM in the vent fluids as compared to 0.02 μM in the surrounding waters. Nutrient fluxes from the volcano during the degassing stage were estimated as 3.19 ± 1.17 mol m–2 year–1 (NO2– + NO3–), 0.02 ± 0.01 mol m–2 year–1 (PO4), and 0.60 ± 1.35 mol m–2 year–1 (Si(OH)4), comparable to other important nutrient sources in the region such as fluxes from the NW-African upwelling. Nutrient ratios were affected, with a minimum (NO3– + NO2–):PO4 ratio of 2.36:1; moreover, a linear correlation between silicate and temperature enabled the use of this nutrient as a mixing tracer. This study sheds light on how shallow hydrothermal systems impact the nutrient-poor upper waters of the ocean.En prens

Earned Schedule min-max: Two new EVM metrics for monitoring and controlling projects

[EN] Earned Value Management (EVM) is a well-known project management technique for monitoring project pro-gress. Over the last 15 years, many promising EVM metrics have been proposed to get, among other improve-ments, better actual project duration and cost estimates. Papers comparing the performance of all these metricsare, however, scarce and sometimes contradictory.In this paper, a simulation and empirical comparison of 26 deterministic project duration forecasting tech-niques under the EVM framework is developed. Among them, two new metrics: Earned Schedule min (ESmin) andEarned Schedule max (ESmax) are proposed.ESminandESmaxoffer a new and simpler activity-level calculationapproach of the traditional Earned Schedule metric. Top performing (most accurate) metrics: Earned Schedule(ES), Earned Duration (ED) and Effective Earned Schedule (ES(e)) with Performance Factor 1 (PF= 1), areslightly outperformed by the new metrics which also offer some interesting applications for enhanced projectcontrol.The first author acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities for his Ramon y Cajal contract (RYC-2017-22222) co -funded by the European Social Fund. This work was also supported by the second author's "Estancias de movilidad en el extranjero Jose Castillejo para jovenes doctores, 2017 (grant ref. CAS17/00488)" and the fourth author's "Estancias de profesores e investigadores senior en centros extranjeros, incluido el programa "Salvador de Madariaga" 2018 (grant ref. PRX18/00381)", both also from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and UniversitiesBallesteros Pérez, P.; Sanz-Ablanedo, E.; Mora-Melià, D.; González-Cruz, M.; Fuentes Bargues, JL.; Pellicer, E. (2019). Earned Schedule min-max: Two new EVM metrics for monitoring and controlling projects. Automation in Construction. 103:279-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2019.03.016S27929010

How old are giant squids? First approach to aging Architeuthis beaks

The giant squid Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 is one of the largest and most enigmatic marine species. Its age estimation remains controversial with many estimates of maximum age ranging from 1 to 14 yrs. Successful results regarding the study of aging in cephalopod beaks for some octopod and oegopsid squids support using these structures for age estimation. We analyzed the beaks of 10 individuals, caught between 1995 and 2006, with reconstructed dorsal mantle lengths (DMLs) between 823 and 1418 mm. The beaks were measured and weighed, and their microstructure was analyzed in three ways: (1) in the rostrum area [rostrum sagittal sections (RSS)] for both upper and lower jaws, and the (2) inner lateral wall surfaces (LWS) and (3) inner crest surfaces (CS) for upper jaws. A constant sequence of increments was observed along the RSS, indicating that the use of lower jaws is more feasible due to the higher erosion and tighter packing of increments of upper jaws. The statolith of one individual was analyzed, resulting in 520 increments (579 increments from RSS of its lower jaw). Assuming daily deposition, the age estimations in RSS between 411 and 674 d suggest rapid growth of A. dux, averaging 1.97 mm DML d–1 (SD 0.45). When maximum ages were estimated by applying these results to the largest measured specimens in the literature (e.g., 2400 mm DML), an age of approximately 3 yrs was obtained. Analysis over a greater size range of individuals would allow more accurate age estimations of this emblematic squid.En prensa1,14

Implementación de Historiales Personales de Aprendizaje en los cursos de Física I

La Cátedra de Física I realiza en algunos de sus cursos una experiencia de seguimiento continuo del nivel de aprendizaje de los alumnos por medio de cortas evaluaciones individuales voluntarias y personalizadas, cuyos resultados son registrados para conformar una suerte de “Historia Clínica Personal de Avance en el Aprendizaje”. Este material permite a los docentes sacar conclusiones sobre el funcionamiento general del curso y el nivel de compromiso y aprovechamiento individual de los alumnos. Asimismo, proporciona a los estudiantes material para contribuir a su autoevaluación continua, y en el caso de ser aprobadas las evaluaciones de módulo acceder a créditos de nota de concepto que sumen puntaje a los resultados de esas evaluaciones.Facultad de Ingenierí

Severe Deoxygenation Event Caused by the 2011 Eruption of the Submarine Volcano Tagoro (El Hierro, Canary Islands)

The shallow, near-shore submarine volcano Tagoro erupted in October 2011 at the Mar de las Calmas marine reserve, south of El Hierro island. The injection of lava into the ocean had its strongest episode during November 2011 and lasted until March 2012. During this time, in situ measurements of dissolved oxygen were carried out, using a continuous oxygen sensor constantly calibrated with water samples. A severe deoxygenation was observed in the area, particularly during October-November 2011, which was one of the main causes of the high mortality observed among the local marine ecosystem. The measured O2 concentrations were as low as 7.71 µmol kg-1, which represents a -96% decrease with respect to unaffected waters. The oxygen depletion was found in the first 250 m of the water column, with peaks between 70-120 m depth. The deoxygenated plume covered an area of at least 464 km2, distributed particularly south and south-west of the volcano, with occasional patches found north of the island. The oxygen levels were also monitored through the following years, during the degassing stage of the volcano, when oxygen depletion was no longer observed. Additionally, during the eruption, an island-generated anticyclonic eddy interacted with the volcanic plume and transported it for at least 80 km, where the O2 measurements still showed a -8% decrease after mixing and dilution. This feature draws attention to the permanence and transport of volcanic plumes far away from their source and long after the emission.En prens