Carbon storage in cacao (Theobroma cacao) plantations in Armero-Guayabal (Tolima, Colombia)

P?ginas 6-10El cambio clim?tico sigue siendo la principal amenaza de la humanidad hoy en d?a. Esta problem?tica se ha incrementado debido a las acciones humanas, como el uso de combustibles f?siles, la deforestaci?n y la degradaci?n. La comunidad mundial organizada ha establecido esquemas para mitigar este problema ambiental, por ejemplo el mecanismo de desarrollo limpio. Los sistemas agroforestales con cacao son considerados como mitigadores del cambio clim?tico por capturar carbono en biomasa, necromasa y suelos. Se estim? el almacenamiento y la fijaci?n de carbono en biomasa arriba del suelo y necromasa de cacaotales de 18 y 35 a?os de edad en el Centro Universitario Regional del Norte, en Armero-Guayabal (Tolima, Colombia) CURDN. Los cacaotales estudiados almacenaron 28.8 y 33.6 t C ha-1 en biomasa arriba del suelo a los 18 y 35 a?os, respectivamente, que arrojaron una tasa de fijaci?n promedio de 1.1 t C ha-1 a?o-1 . El carbono almacenado en necromasa ascendi? a 4.4 t ha-1 , con diferencias leves entre las edades de las plantaciones. Los sistemas agroforestales con cacao en Armero-Guayabal (Tolima, Colombia) tienen potencial para mitigar el cambio clim?tico al capturar carbono en biomasa y necromasa.ABSTRACT. Climate change holds as the current main threat of the humankind. This problem has being increasing by human actions such as the use of fossil fuels, deforestation and degradation. The organized world community has established schemes to mitigate this environmental problem, such as the Clean Development Mechanism. Agroforestry systems with cacao are considered as mitigating activities of climate change due to their capture of carbon in biomass and necromass. The carbon storage and fixation in aboveground biomass and necromass in cacao plantations of 18 and 35 years in the Centro Universitario Regional del Norte (CURDN), in ArmeroGuayabal (Tolima, Colombia) were estimated. The studied cacao plantations stored 28.8 and 33.6 t C ha-1 in aboveground biomass with an age of 18 and 35 years respectively, showing an average fixation rate of 1.1 t C ha-1 year-1 . The stored carbon in necromass was 4.4 t ha-1 , with slight differences between the ages of plantations. Agroforestry systems with cacao in Armero-Guayabal, Tolima, Colombia have the potential to mitigate climate change due its capture of atmospheric carbon in aboveground biomass and necromass

Nutritional quality of Vidal grass (Bothriochloa saccharoides) under dry tropical conditions

P?ginas 51-55Recurso Electr?nicoEste articulo contiene informaci?n acerca del pasto Vidal (Botriochloa saccharoides), gram?nea poco estudiada y que posee grandes cualidades a nivel nutricional y productivo tanto en monocultivo como en asociaci?n con especies arb?reas. Durante el desarrollo de esta investigaci?n se evaluaron las caracter?sticas de calidad nutricional del pasto Vidal durante sus diferentes etapas fenol?gicas (germinaci?n, vegetativa, reproductiva y senescencia). Para ello se estableci? una parcela en la granja ?CURDN? (Centro Universitario Regional del Norte del Tolima) ubicada en el municipio de Armero Guayabal. El ensayo fue desarrollado con el objetivo de determinar las caracter?sticas nutricionales m?s relevantes durante el desarrollo del ciclo del pasto Vidal. Seg?n los resultados obtenidos el pasto Botriochloa saccharoides present? un ciclo fenol?gico de 137 d?as, tiempo en el cual se observaron las fases de germinaci?n, prefloraci?n, floraci?n y senescencia a los 37, 91, 114 y 128 d?as respectivamente. El tiempo ideal para el primer pastoreo es aproximadamente a los 91 d?as etapa en la cual el pasto est? en estado de prefloraci?n con una PC de 5,24%; DIVMS 54,21%; 45,8% de FDA y 8,3% de lignina.ABSTRACT. This article contains information about Vidal grass (Botriochloa saccharoides) , which has been little studied although it has good nutritional and productive qualities as much in single-crop farming as in association with arboreal species. Throughout this project, the Characteristics of nutritional quality of Vidal grass were evaluated during their different stages of development (germination, vegetative, reproductive and senescence,). Then, an experimental plot was sown in the ?CURDN? farm (Centro Universitario Regional del Norte del Tolima), located in the municipality of Armero - Guayabal. According to the results obtained, the Botriochloa saccharoides grass presented a cycle of 137 days. The germination, vegetative, reproductive and senescence phases could be observed at the 37th , 91st , 114th and 128th days, respectively. The ideal time for the first harvest is immediately after the first stage is over (91 days), stage in which the grass has a CP of 5,24%; DMIVD 54,21%; 72,1% of ADF and 8,3% lignin

The impact of freeze-drying conditions on the physico-chemical properties and bioactive compounds of a freeze-dried orange puree

© 2019 by the authors. Fruits are essential for a healthy diet, as they contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, which is attributed to their high bioactive compound content contributing to their antioxidant capacity. Nevertheless, fruits have a short shelf life due to their high-water content, and freeze-drying is a well-known technique to preserve their nutritive quality. However, it is an expensive technology, both due to the use of low pressure and long processing time. Therefore, an optimisation of variables such as the freezing rate, working pressure and shelf temperature during freeze-drying may preserve fruit quality while reducing the time and costs. The impact of these variables on colour, porosity, mechanical properties, water content, vitamin C, total phenols, β-carotene, and antioxidant activity of a freeze-dried orange puree was evaluated. The results showed a great impact of pressure and shelf temperature on luminosity, chroma and water content. Vitamin C and β-carotene were more preserved with higher shelf temperatures (shorter times of processing) and lower pressure, respectively. The optimum freeze-drying conditions preserving the nutrients, and with an interesting structural property, perceived as a crunchy product by consumers, are low pressure (5 Pa) and high shelf temperature (50 °C)

Obtention and characterization of distilled beverage from cheese whey fermentation

O presente estudo visou a produção e caracterização de uma nova bebida alcoólica através da fermentação descontínua do soro de queijo e posterior destilação do produto fermentado. Os ensaios fermentativos foram conduzidos a 35 °C e 150 rpm por 92 h, em um bioreator de 7 L (volume total) empregando a levedura Kluyveromyces fragilis. O destilado foi separado em três frações de acordo com a concentração de etanol: a cabeça (>80% v/v), o coração (80-40% v/v) e a cauda (<40% v/v). A fração do coração foi diluída para um teor alcoólico de 40% v/v e os principais compostos voláteis (ésteres e alcoóis superiores) foram determinados por Cromatografia Gasosa com detector de ionização de chama (CG-DIC) e Cromatografia Gasosa com Espectrometria de Massa (CG-EM). A fração do coração foi também submetida a análise sensorial por um painel de julgadores treinados visando estabelecer descritores visuais, olfativos e gustativos. Com este trabalho concluiu-se que é possível obter uma bebida destilada com odor e gosto agradáveis a partir da fermentação do soro de queijo

Flexural strength of high-performance soil-cement: a new, alternative, sustainable construction material

Soil-cement is a building material that is considered low-cost and has a low environmental impact. Despite its benefits, performance optimisation studies are scarce compared to other materials such as concrete. The possibility of obtaining soil-cement with improved characteristics, such as flexural strength, would enable the increased use of this product in new applications in construction. The aim of this study is to produce high-performance soil-cement (HPSC) specimens and to evaluate and compare this new material with high-performance concrete (HPC) in terms of flexural strength. A total of 12 specimens were produced with a mixture of 23.5% (by mass) of cement with the application of 10 MPa of pressure for its compaction. The results show that, at 28 days, the specimens reached an average strength of 6.73 MPa and, at 240 days, 12.34 MPa. This means that the HPSC reached a flexural strength resistance equivalent to HPC without the need for mined materials, such as sand and gravel, or the additives adopted in some doses of HPC, such as superplasticisers. Therefore, when using local soil, HPSC can be considered an environmentally preferable alternative to HPC for many construction applications where flexural strength is a requirement.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Phase transitions in tumor growth VI: Epithelial–Mesenchymal transition

Herewith we discuss a network model of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) based on our previous proposed framework. The EMT appears as a “first order” phase transition process, analogous to the transitions observed in the chemical–physical field. Chiefly, EMT should be considered a transition characterized by a supercritical Andronov–Hopf bifurcation, with the emergence of limit cycle and, consequently, a cascade of saddle-foci Shilnikov's bifurcations. We eventually show that the entropy production rate is an EMT-dependent function and, as such, its formalism reminds the van der Waals equation.Fil: Guerra, A.. Universidad de La Habana; CubaFil: Rodriguez, D. J.. Universidad de La Habana; CubaFil: Montero, S.. Medical Sciences University Of Havana; CubaFil: Betancourt Mar, J. A.. Universidad de La Habana; CubaFil: Martín Pardo, Reinaldo Román. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnología Química. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Investigaciones en Tecnología Química; Argentina. Mexican Institute Of Complex Systems. Tamaulipas; MéxicoFil: Silva Lamar, Eduardo. Universidad de La Habana; CubaFil: Bizzarri, María Julia. Universidad de La Habana; CubaFil: Cocho, G.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Mansilla, R.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Nieto Villar, José Manuel. Universidad de La Habana; Cub

Las artes pl?sticas como herramienta pedag?gica para fortalecer la motricidad fina en los ni?os y ni?as del centro de educaci?n ?la ense?anza? del municipio de Palmar de Varela

68 p. Recurso Electr?nicoLos ni?os y ni?as de 1? grado del Centro de Educaci?n ?La Ense?anza? ubicada en el municipio de Palmar de Varela, presentan dificultades asociadas al desarrollo de la motricidad fina, por lo cual se presenta una propuesta de intervenci?n titulada: ?CREARTE, una manera de expresarte?, cuyo objetivo es fortalecer la motricidad fina de los ni?os y ni?as de Preescolar del Centro de Educaci?n ?La Ense?anza? del municipio de Palmar de Varela (Atl?ntico), utilizando las artes pl?sticas como herramienta pedag?gica, para desarrollarlos y fortalecerlos como principal estrategia pedag?gica. En cuanto al aspecto metodol?gico, esta investigaci?n es cualitativa porque analiza un problema en su entorno natural, siendo el dise?o descriptivo y explicativo, el paradigma interpretativo y el m?todo etnogr?fico. Se tomaron como muestra 20 estudiantes que integran el grupo de 1? grado, utilizando c?mo t?cnicas de recolecci?n de informaci?n: la observaci?n a trav?s de una escala de valoraci?n motriz y la encuesta que fue aplicada a los docentes del primer ciclo de b?sica primaria (1? a 3?). El resultado fue una propuesta din?mica y divertida que cumple con su prop?sito fundamental. Palabras claves: Artes pl?sticas, motricidad fina, coordinaci?n viso-manual, coordinaci?n ?culo-pedica, coordinaci?n oro-facial, madurez escolar.The boys and girls of 1? degree of the Centro de Educaci?n ?La Ense?anza? located in the municipality of Palmar de Varela (Atl?ntico), they present difficulties associated with the development of the thin motor function, for which one presents an offer of qualified intervention: ?TO CREATE YOURSELF, way of expressing?, whose aim is to strengthen the thin motricidad of the children and girls of Pre-school of the Centro de Educaci?n ?La Ense?anza? of the municipality of Palmar de Varela (Atl?ntico), using the plastic arts as pedagogic tool, to develop them and to strengthen them as principal pedagogic strategy. As for the methodological aspect, this research is qualitative because it analyzes a problem in their natural environment, with the descriptive and explanatory design, the interpretive paradigm and the ethnographic method. It was sampled 20 students who make up the group of 1st grade, using techniques of data collection: observation through a scale driving assessment and the survey was applied to teachers in the first cycle of elementary school (1st to 3rd). The result was a dynamic and fun proposal that fulfills its fundamental purpose. Keyword: Visuo-hand, hand-eye coordination Pedica arts, fine motor skills, coordination, coordination orofacial, school maturit

Revisiting niche fundamentals with Tukey depth

1. The first attempts to describe species ecological niches were simple geometric procedures that depict the niche boundaries directly from environmental data. The convex hull was one of such procedures, popular for its simplicity, clear ecological rational and precise definition of the niche. However, it lacked the ability to differentiate areas of the niche with different probabilities of occurrence according to environmental suitability. 2. We incorporate the Tukey depth, a mathematical tool to measure the centrality of a point within a cloud of points on a multidimensional space, in the convex hull approach to (i) propose a new procedure (CH-Tukey) to estimate species’ environmental suitability, and (ii) estimate niche overlap coherently. In addition to a clear ecological rational and simplicity the CHTukey procedure has a number of attractive features: use of presence-only data; independence from background data; invariance to scale; robustness to outliers; and the decomposition of the niche into a finite number of isosuitability levels, permitting the computation of consistent overlap indices. We illustrate the use of CH-Tukey, using occurrence data of the main Quercus species and subspecies from Western Mediterranean Europe, comparing its outputs with BIOCLIM and MAXENT. 3. Results showed distinct niche geometries among the different approaches. BIOCLIM produced rectilinear niches reflecting the assumption that ecological variables are independent in their action on the species. CHTukey, relaxing this assumption, adjusts niche outer boundary and the inner suitability levels to the known occurrences. MAXENT produced unbounded niche geometries, showing abrupt shifts in the species response to the environmental variables. 4. The niche predictions obtained with geometric approaches, BIOCLIM and CH Tukey, are simpler but better aligned with Hutchinson’s niche concept than those obtained with MAXENT, this latter showing ecologically implausible relationships with the environmental variables. CH-Tukey and the related overlap measures provide an adequate tool to explore niche properties and species-environment relationships

Sustained blood glutamate scavenging enhances protection in ischemic stroke

Stroke is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability. During ischemic stroke, a marked and prolonged rise of glutamate concentration in the brain causes neuronal cell death. This study explores the protective effect of a bioconjugate form of glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (hrGOT), which catalyzes the depletion of blood glutamate in the bloodstream for ~6 days following a single administration. When treated with this bioconjugate, a significant reduction of the infarct volume and a better retention of sensorimotor function was observed for ischemic rats compared to those treated with saline. Moreover, the equivalent dose of native hrGOT yielded similar results to the saline treated group for some tests. Targeting the bioconjugate to the blood-brain-barrier did not improve its performance. The data suggest that the bioconjugates draw glutamate out of the brain by displacing homeostasis between the different glutamate pools of the body

The role of backstop shape during inversion tectonics physical models.

O estilo da deforma??o de sequ?ncias sedimentares de bacias submetidas a uma invers?o tect?nica positiva foi discutido a partir da an?lise de modelos laboratoriais, desenvolvidos em caixas de experimentos, com camadas de areia depositadas no espa?o entre dois blocos de madeira. O espa?o simulava est?gios de extens?o crustal que conduziram ? forma??o de (1) um hemi-graben, gerado sobre um descolamento basal l?strico, com os blocos simulando o teto e o muro; e (2) um graben, com os blocos representando as margens externas que se distanciaram ao longo de um descolamento horizontal. Combina??es de dois angulos diferentes foram usadas para simular o mergulho das falhas normais curvas ao longo da face interna dos blocos de madeira. Nos hemi-grabens, os anteparos possu?am geometria convexa, e, nos grabens, geometria c?ncava. No pacote de areia, o encurtamento foi particionado em movimentos dirigidos a p?s e antepa?s, e a cinem?tica da contra??o foi fortemente influenciada pela geometria convexa ou c?ncava das faces internas dos anteparos. Um efeito obst?culo, caracterizado por rota??o do pacote de areia, pr?ximo ao bloco do muro, foi mais elevado junto ?s faces internas dos blocos de mais alto angulo de mergulho. Os resultados foram comparados a outros experimentos f?sicos e aplicados a uma bacia invertida encontrada na natureza.The style of deformation of rocks from basin-infilling sequences in positively inverted natural basins was discussed upon the results of laboratory experiments carried out in sandboxes with sand packs laid down in the space between two wooden blocks. The space simulated stages of crustal extension leading to (1) a half graben due to extension above a listric extensional detachment, with the blocks simulating the footwall and hanging wall, or (2) a graben, with the blocks simulating the external margins that drifted apart above a horizontal detachment. Combinations of two diferente angles were used to simulate the dip of curved normal faults along the internal face of the wooden blocks. Backstops in the half graben had a convex up internal face. Backstops in the graben had a concave up internal face. Shortening was partitioned in forward and backward movements within the sand packs, and the kinematics of contraction was largely influenced by the convex or concave internal faces. A buttress effect characterized by rotation of the sand pack close to the footwall was stronger for footwall with steeper-dipping internal faces. The results were compared to other physical experiments and applied to an inverted basin found in nature