Sensory quality of milk fat with low cholesterol content fractioned by molecular distillation

Anhydrous milk fat (AMF) is a valuable ingredient in several industries, but its cholesterol content is a disadvantage because it is associated with several diseases. The objective of this study was to remove the largest possible amount of cholesterol from AMF by molecular distillation and to analyze the sensory properties of the obtained product. AMF was subjected to various molecular distillation arrangements. RESULTS: The first set of experiments involved molecular distillations performed over a range of evaporation temperatures. Then, according to the outcome of the first set of experiments, a second set of experiments was carried out in order to study the effect of the feeding flow rate. Finally, the number of distillation stages was modified. The best results were obtained in a three-stage arrangement, in which ∼60% of cholesterol was removed with a 30.48% distillate yield. The sensory properties of this distillation cut were also the most similar to those of the untreated milk fat.Fil: Berti, Julia. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Tecnología Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Grosso, Nelson. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez, Hector. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Tecnología Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Pramparo, Maria del Carmen. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Tecnología Química; ArgentinaFil: Gayol, Maria Fernanda. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Tecnología Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentin

Life Cycle Assessment and economic evaluation of the recovery of materials in an urban waste management system

The main aim of this study was to perform a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as well as an economic evaluation of the recovery of recyclable materials in an urban waste management system. Urban waste is mainly composed of three fractions: 1) putrescible materials, 2) recyclables materials, and 3) residual waste. The putrescible materials have to be collected separately and sent to composting and/or anaerobic digestion plants. The recyclables materials have to be sorted and sent to the proper industrial facilities. Finally, the residual waste could be further selected to be sent to energy recovery plants. If citizens separate erroneously urban waste fractions, they produce both environmental and economic damages. In fact, on the base of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a municipality receives an economic amount for each kilogram of packaging waste collected. In Italy, this activity is managed by CONAI (a private system, created and designed by companies). The “CONAI system” is based on the activities of six consortia each dedicated to promoting and control the most used materials in the packaging production i.e. steel, aluminum, paper, wood, plastics and glass. Packaging waste that goes into the dry residue represents an economic damage (a loss of the “CONAI contribution” and the payment of the disposal fees) as well as an environmental burden. The environmental and economic evaluation was performed for the case study of Nola (39.19 km², 34.349 inhabitants, and 876.47 ab./km²) in the Province on Naples, in the Campania Region of Southern Italy. Nola has a kerbside system which assured a percentage of separate collection of 61% in 2015. The LCA analysis included the treatment and disposal phases as well as the collection and transport phases. The LCA software tool SimaPro and the following three impact assessment methods were used: ReCiPe 2008 (for the medium-term perspective Hierarchist both for midpoint and endpoint levels), Ecological footprint, and IPCC 2013 (100 years). The environmental (Figure 1a) and economic (Figure 1b) analysis were developed for several real and hypothetical scenarios based on increasing percentages of separate collection and different composition analyses of the residual waste (RW). The obtained results confirmed that recovering materials from residual waste is a benefits both in environmental and economic terms. Finally, it is also a social potential benefit because the municipality could invest the economic saving in environmental campaigns entrusted to young people in an area with a high rate of youth unemployment. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Integrated environmental analysis of urban waste separate collection in the Sorrento peninsula, in Italy

The main aim of this work was to study the kerbside collection system of two municipalities in the Sorrento peninsula (in Italy) with an integrated approach based on the three pillars of sustainability: society, environment and economy. The studied municipality are Sorrento (16,745 inhabitants, 1,681 inhabitants/km²) and Piano di Sorrento (13,159 inhabitants, 1,793 inhabitants/km2). Piano di Sorrento and especially Sorrento are tourist towns and this obviously has an impact on the quantity and quality of urban waste. In 2014, the percentage of separate collection was 63.3% in Piano di Sorrento with a per capita production of 465.7 kg/inhabitant/year, and 63.8% in Sorrento with 775 kg/inhabitant/day. In every municipality, there is a separate collection centre (SCC). In the SCC, the citizens can deliver the recyclables from urban waste obtaining economic benefits similarly to the system described in De Feo and Polito (2015). The sociological analysis was developed by means of a structured questionnaire similar to that developed by De Feo and Polito (2015). The economic analysis was conducted in the light of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, evaluating the money recovery from the recyclable materials theoretically contained in the residual waste. The analysis was carried out considering three real scenarios: (1) 2000, without separate collection; (2) 2008, when the Campania region of Southern Italy was suffering serious problems with the management of urban waste because the region did not have enough waste management facilities; (3) 2014, when there was an effective kerbside collection system in the two municipalities. The environmental analysis was performed for scenarios (1), (2) and (3) applying the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to the urban waste management, internal collection and external transport systems. As shown in Figure 1, in 2014, the increasing percentages of separate collection allowed to avoid the production of environmental impacts, with greater benefits for the citizens of Piano di Sorrento. On the other hand, for Sorrento it was calculated the number of theoretical additional touristic bus/day in the case of a “Zero Waste” management of the hotels in terms of avoided production of equivalent CO2. The result was obtained as the ratio between the difference of the impact produced by the hotels all operated in a normal way and the hotels all managed with a Zero Waste approach, and the impact of a single bus (as a function of the distance). Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Effect of nitrogen ion irradiation on the nano-tribological and surface mechanical properties of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

Generation of wear debris is the principal obstacle limiting the durability of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in biomedical applications. Aiming to enhance UHMWPE wear resistance, surface modification with swift heavy ion irradiation (SHI) appears as a potential and attractive methodology. Contrary to ion implantation techniques, the swift heavy ions range can reach tens to hundreds microns and its extremely high linear energy is able to induce effective chemical modifications using low fluence values. Nano-wear performance and surface mechanical properties of samples of pristine and SHI irradiated (using N2+ ions at 33MeV and a fluence of 1×1012ions/cm2) were characterized by depth sensing indentation (DSI) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). It turned out that modifications induced by irradiation at the surface layers were successful to reduce nano-wear volume and creep deformation. These improvements were related to beneficial changes in hardness, elastic modulus, hardness to elastic modulus ratio and friction coefficient.Fil: Fasce, Laura Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Cura, Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: del Grosso, Mariela Fernanda. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Garcia Bermudez, Gerardo Jose. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Frontini, Patricia Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; Argentin

Entre las políticas por el agua y los esfuerzos por calmar la sed. el «acueducto del desierto» en las tierras secas no irrigadas de Lavalle, Mendoza

The «aqueduct of the desert» is a necessary and iconic water works for the unirrigated area of the department of Lavalle, Mendoza. However, nearly ten years on from the beginning of its design and construction, it is disconnected from the provincial water policy and exhibits structural limitations which impede the solving of problems such as water disputes between unirrigated oasis-lands, water scarcity, and historical reparation to environmental injustice.El «acueducto del desierto» se presenta comouna obra hídrica necesaria y em-blemática para la zona no irrigada del departamento de Lavalle, Mendoza. Sin embargo, a casi diez años del inicio de su diseño y construcción, se encuentra desarticulada de la política hídrica pro-vincial y exhibe limitaciones para resolver problemas estructurales como las disputas por el agua entre oasis-tierras no irrigadas, la escasez hídrica y la reparación histórica a la injusticia ambiental del lugar.Fil: Grosso Cepparo, Maria Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; ArgentinaFil: Torres, Laura María del Rosario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Surveillance of invasive diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in Italy: evolution of serotypes and antibiotic resistance in different age groups before and after implementation of PCV7

Background: PCV7 has been available in Italy since 2001, however only in 2005 national recommendations were issued and vaccination was implemented with different modalities by the Regions. Objectives: Aim of this study was to describe changes in serotype distribution and antibiotic susceptibility of S. pneumoniae from invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD) in the last decade. Study Design: S. pneumoniae isolates from IPD, collected through a national surveillance system, were serotyped and antibiotic susceptibility was determined by E-test. Data were analyzed according to age groups (5 years, >5-64 years, 65 years) and to 3 time periods: prior, during and after PCV7 implementation (2001- 2003, 2006-2008 and 2009-2011). Results: The percentage of PCV7 serotypes (vaccine serotypes, VS) decreased over the years not only in children (from 60% to 26%) but also in the other age groups. Penicillin resistance was rather low in 2001-2003 (7-12%), but peaked in children in 2006-2008 (24%), and decreased in 2009-2011, while erythromycin resistance slightly decreased over the 3 periods. Conclusions: PCV7 use has largely impacted the epidemiology of S. pneumoniae in Italy, with a decrease in VS in all age groups.The impact of PCV 13, available in Italy since the end of 2010, requires future evaluations

Daptomycin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clinical Strain With Novel Non-synonymous Mutations in the mprF and vraS Genes:A New Insight Into Daptomycin Resistance

Objectives: Daptomycin (DAP) resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is uncommon but there are increasing reports of the emergence of resistance during DAP therapy. Most clinical DAP-resistant S. aureus isolates investigated carried mutations in the mprF gene. The aim of this study was to identify mutations between a clinical pair of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates (DAP-susceptible and DAP-resistant). Additionally, the activity of genes previously associated with DAP resistance was assessed. Materials and Methods: Two MSSA isolates from patient with left-sided endocarditis were analyzed by whole genome sequencing (WGS) and reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). The first isolate, DAP-susceptible, was obtained before initiation of treatment and the second isolate, DAP-resistant, was recovered after 4 weeks of DAP therapy. Results: Comparison of complete genomes of DAP-susceptible and its DAP-resistant variant identified two non-synonymous and one synonymous mutations. The non-synonymous mutations consisted of a S829L substitution in mprF and a T331I substitution in vraS. The RT-qPCR experiments revealed an increased expression of vraS, dltA, mprF, and sceD genes in DAP-resistant variant. Strikingly, the expression of dltA and mprF genes was significantly downregulated by DAP. Conclusion: The mprF and vraS genes were previously associated with DAP resistance, however, none of the mutations described in this study had been previously identified and linked to DAP resistance. Moreover, we provide a new insight into the DAP action on S. aureus, in which the expression of key genes in DAP resistance is decreased by the antibiotic

Luxury tourism and extractivism: Rrural areas as a prey to Capital. Reflections on the Valle de Uco (Mendoza, Argentina)

En base a un estudio de caso sobre territorios rurales de Mendoza (Argentina) crecientemente volcados a la producción de vinos de alta gama, este trabajo indaga emprendimientos de turismo de lujo con el respaldo teórico de los desarrollos vinculados al extractivismo. Se busca cotejar los alcances de este aparato conceptual para contener el análisis del turismo de lujo en territorios rurales de Argentina y comprender las particularidades que asumen los procesos de territorialización del capital articulados a este tipo específico de turismo.Based on a case study on rural areas of Mendoza (Argentina), which are increasingly turning to the production of top quality wines, this work investigates luxury tourism ventures with the theoretical support of developments linked to extractivism. We seek to evaluate the reach of this conceptual frame to analyze luxury tourism in rural areas of Argentina and understand the particular features of the territorialization processes of capital connected with this specific type of tourism.Fil: Torres, Laura María del Rosario. 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: Pastor, Gabriela Claudia. 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: Grosso Cepparo, Maria Virginia. 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: Scoones, Ana. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; Argentin

Anti-trypanosoma cruzi activity of extracts from Argentinean asteraceae species

The anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity of extracts from 13 Argentinean Asteraceae species was determined. Dichloromethane and methanol extracts of Acmella bellidioides, Aspilia silphioides, Viguiera tuberosa, Calyptocarpus biaristatus, Hyalis argentea, Helenium radiatum, Gaillardia megapotamica, Verbesina subcordata, Gymnocoronis spilanthoides, Viguiera anchusaefolia, Thelesperma megapotamicum, Zexmenia buphtalmiflora, and Vernonia plantaginoides were evaluated in-vitro against Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes. A. silphioides, V. tuberosa, V. subcordata, G. spilanthoides, G. megapotamica, T. megapotamicumand Z. buphtalmiflora dichloromethane extracts showed trypanocidal activity with inhibitions higher than 60% at a concentration of 10 µg/mL. The methanol extracts of H. radiatum and G. megapotamica were the most active with nhibitions of 70.1 and 77.7%, respectively at 10 µg/mL. The chromatographic profiles of the most active extracts showed bands and major peaks that could be attributed to flavonoids and terpenoid compounds.Fil: Selener, Mariana Gabriela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Elso, Orlando German. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Metabolismo del Fármaco. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Metabolismo del Fármaco; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Grosso, Carla. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Borgo, Jimena. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Clavin, Maria Liliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Metabolismo del Fármaco. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Metabolismo del Fármaco; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Malchiodi, Emilio Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Cazorla, Silvia Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Redko, Flavia del Carmen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Metabolismo del Fármaco. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Metabolismo del Fármaco; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Sülsen, Valeria Patricia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Metabolismo del Fármaco. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Metabolismo del Fármaco; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; Argentin

Complete genome sequence of a serotype 11A, ST62 Streptococcus pneumoniae invasive isolate

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Streptococcus pneumoniae </it>is an important human pathogen representing a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We sequenced the genome of a serotype 11A, ST62 <it>S. pneumoniae </it>invasive isolate (AP200), that was erythromycin-resistant due to the presence of the <it>erm</it>(TR) determinant, and carried out analysis of the genome organization and comparison with other pneumococcal genomes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The genome sequence of <it>S. pneumoniae </it>AP200 is 2,130,580 base pair in length. The genome carries 2216 coding sequences (CDS), 56 tRNA, and 12 rRNA genes. Of the CDSs, 72.9% have a predicted biological known function. AP200 contains the pilus islet 2 and, although its phenotype corresponds to serotype 11A, it contains an 11D capsular locus. Chromosomal rearrangements resulting from a large inversion across the replication axis, and horizontal gene transfer events were observed. The chromosomal inversion is likely implicated in the rebalance of the chromosomal architecture affected by the insertions of two large exogenous elements, the <it>erm</it>(TR)-carrying Tn<it>1806 </it>and a functional prophage designated ϕSpn_200. Tn<it>1806 </it>is 52,457 bp in size and comprises 49 ORFs. Comparative analysis of Tn<it>1806 </it>revealed the presence of a similar genetic element or part of it in related species such as <it>Streptococcus pyogenes </it>and also in the anaerobic species <it>Finegoldia magna, Anaerococcus prevotii </it>and <it>Clostridium difficile</it>. The genome of ϕSpn_200 is 35,989 bp in size and is organized in 47 ORFs grouped into five functional modules. Prophages similar to ϕSpn_200 were found in pneumococci and in other streptococcal species, showing a high degree of exchange of functional modules. ϕSpn_200 viral particles have morphologic characteristics typical of the <it>Siphoviridae </it>family and are capable of infecting a pneumococcal recipient strain.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The sequence of <it>S. pneumoniae </it>AP200 chromosome revealed a dynamic genome, characterized by chromosomal rearrangements and horizontal gene transfers. The overall diversity of AP200 is driven mainly by the presence of the exogenous elements Tn<it>1806 </it>and ϕSpn_200 that show large gene exchanges with other genetic elements of different bacterial species. These genetic elements likely provide AP200 with additional genes, such as those conferring antibiotic-resistance, promoting its adaptation to the environment.</p