Main Variables Affecting a Chemical-Enzymatic Method to Obtain Protein and Amino Acids from Resistant Microalgae

he development of microalgae uses requires further investigation in cell disruption alternatives to reduce the costs associated to this processing stage. This study aimed to evaluate the main variables affecting an extraction method to obtain protein and amino acids from microalgae. The method was based on a sequential alkaline-enzymatic process, with separate extractions and noncontrolled pH, and was applied to fresh biomass of a resistant species. The processed microalgae were composed of a consortium with Nannochloropsis sp. as predominant species. After the optimization of the pH of the alkaline reaction, the effect of the time of the alkaline reaction (30-120min), the time (30-120min) and temperature (40-60 degrees C) of the enzymatic reaction, and the biomass concentration (50-150mgml(-1)), on the extraction yields of protein and free amino nitrogen (FAN) and on the final concentration of protein in the extract, was studied using a response surface methodology. Even though all the variables and some interactions among them had a significant effect, the biomass concentration was the most important factor affecting the overall process. The results showed relevant information about the different options in order to maximize not only the response variables individually but also different combinations of them. Assays with optimized values reached maximum yields of 80.3% and 1.07% of protein (% of total protein) and FAN (% of total biomass), respectively, and a protein concentration in the extract of 15.2mgml(-1). The study provided the essential information of an alternative approach to obtain protein and amino acids from fresh biomass of resistant microalgae with a high yield, also opening perspectives for further research in particular aspects

Epidemiología de las fracturas de perfil osteoporótico

Las fracturas osteoporóticas de cadera van acompañadas de una morbimortalidad altas. Entre los factores de riesgo de padecer una fractura de este tipo se encuentra el haber sufrido otra fractura de este tipo con anterioridad. Objetivo: conocer las características epidemiológicas de los pacientes con fractura de perfil osteoporótico en el área sanitaria dependiente del Hospital "Virgen de la Victoria" de Málaga. Pacientes y métodos: se incluyen a las mujeres que han sufrido una fractura de tipo osteoporótico en cualquier localización anatómica. Estudio de tipo indagatorio estadístico. Se utiliza a base de datos del programa GIOS (MSD®), en la que se recogen características antropomórficas de las pacientes, así como los hábitos, factores de riesgo y toma de medicación previa

Magnetic Field Effects on the Transport Properties of One-sided Rough Wires

We present a detailed numerical analysis of the effect of a magnetic field on the transport properties of a `small-$N$' one-sided surface disordered wire. When time reversal symmetry is broken due to a magnetic field $B$, we find a strong increase with $B$ not only of the localization length $\xi$ but also of the mean free path $\ell$ caused by boundary states. Despite this, the universal relationship between $\ell$ and $\xi$ does hold. We also analyze the conductance distribution at the metal-insulator crossover, finding a very good agreement with Random Matrix Theory with two fluctuating channels within the Circular Orthogonal(Unitary) Ensemble in absence(presence) of $B$Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Sedimentología del lago de Carucedo (Ponferrada-León)

Se realiza el estudio de los depósitos del lago mediante el análisis de muestras correspondientes a 16 sondeos mecánicos. El relleno del lago aparece condicionado fundamentalmente por los aportes longitudinales a lo largo de un antiguo valle, mientras que los aportes laterales presentan menor importancia y, en parte, proceden de la destrucción de uno de los abanicos. El mecanismo fundamental de sedimentación se produce a partir de una suspensión puesta en funcionamiento por la entrada de aguas por puntos concretos, que dan lugar un "delta" de sedimentos gruesps mientras los finos pasan a suspensión y decantan lentamente. Se apunta su origen climático para los cambios en la sedimentación, asignando como posible edad Wurmiense, para los depósitos ricos en materia orgánica. Se obtiene una velocidad de sedimentación a partir de los datos obtenidos, del orden de 0,1 mm./año

La geología de los planetas: Análisis estadístico de datos composicionales al servicio de la planetología.

Anàlisi estadístic de dades composicionals dels planete

Labour productivity in mixed-model manual assembly 4.0

Manual assembly lines productivity is threatened by the increased complexity brought by mass customisation demand trends. Industry 4.0 offers potential solutions to address this situation, but the methodology to implement it is still a subject of study. As a preliminary step, this article aims to identify the dominant factors affecting the Key Performance Indicators of mixed-model assembly lines. To do so, parametric and discrete-events simulation models were developed, and Design of Experiments techniques were used. The results show that the key drivers for assembly line performance are number of work stations and batch size, and that increasing the work content ratio of the products assembled does not interact negatively with other factors. The results presented here pave the way for developing Industry 4.0 projects that address specifically the most relevant factors that affect assembly lines performance

Adjudication of new community pharmacies: comparison of ranking criteria

This article studies the differences between the models of candidate classification for the adjudication of new pharmacies in the different Spanish self-governing regions. The objective of this study is to analyze the profile of the selected professional. Generally, the ranking takes into account the professional activity as pharmacist, the pre-graduate formation as well as the postgraduate, with different weights. Some of the 15 autonomies include as merits the cooficial languages, an optional written test and special situations as unemployment. In general, the criteria try to find out the best profile of pharmacist based on the professional experience and the postgraduate formation

Examining indices of individual-level resource specialization

The variety of resources that a population exploits is known as the “niche width”. A particular population has a narrow niche if only few kinds of the available resources are exploited by its members. When the individuals of a population exploit many different resources, then the population has a wide niche. From this point of view it seems that the niche is a property of the population as a whole. However, it is well known that many apparently generalist populations are in fact composed of individual specialists, that is, members that use only small subsets of the population’s niche. This approach justifies the definition of indices to measure the individual-level resource specialization. Although this kind of analysis could be applied to any niche variation: oviposition sites, habitat, etc., we focus the discussion in terms of analysis of diet data. So as to measure species niche breadth a comparison between the frequency distribution of the species’ resource use with that of all available resources is carried out. When a measure of individual specialization is considered, then one should compare the population’s total diet with the individual use. In particular, the total niche width of a population should be compared with its two components: within and between-individual variation. In this sense, in the literature several indices of intrapopulation niche variation are proposed. Our goal is to describe, compare and evaluate four of the most relevant indices applied in ecology. In this work we point out how these techniques could be developed in a compositional framework, particularly when these indices are applied to discrete diet data [e.g. frequency of different prey specimen in the diet]

Evaluation and optimization of the Sysmex UF1000i system for the screening of urinary tract infection in primary health care elderly patients

Objective Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common problem in the elderly population. Urine culture is still considered the "gold standard" to diagnose infection in this population. However, urine cultures are laborious and costly, and most samples will yield no growth. Methods An evaluation was made of the Sysmex UF-1000i flow cytometer as a screening tool for UTI in an elderly population older than 65 years who lived in the community, using 346 urine samples submitted for culture. Results The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis showed a significant difference (P < 0.01) between 0.98 bacteria area under the curve value and 0.82 of white blood cells (WBC). The combination of both counts for screening did not show any improvement in specificity or sensitivity. According to our data, the use of a single cut-off point of 200 bacteria/μL is suggested, in which the sensitivity and specificity were 99.11% and 91.59%, respectively, with a NPV of 99.49%. Moreover, this cut-off value could avoid 60.24% of the samples to be cultured, with a minimal false negative results rate of 0.87%. Conclusions The stratification of age groups stratification helps in selecting a more adjusted Sysmex UF1000i cut-off limit, leading to an improvement in the screening parameters that would imply a better management of these infections, as well as a high reduction in the workload and cost savings

Local and average fields inside surface-disordered waveguides: Resonances in the one-dimensional Anderson localization regime

We investigate the one-dimensional propagation of waves in the Anderson localization regime, for a single-mode, surface disordered waveguide. We make use of both an analytical formulation and rigorous numerical simulation calculations. The occurrence of anomalously large transmission coefficients for given realizations and/or frequencies is studied, revealing huge field intensity concentration inside the disordered waveguide. The analytically predicted s-like dependence of the average intensity, being in good agreement with the numerical results for moderately long systems, fails to explain the intensity distribution observed deep in the localized regime. The average contribution to the field intensity from the resonances that are above a threshold transmission coefficient $T_{c}$ is a broad distribution with a large maximum at/near mid-waveguide, depending universally (for given $T_{c}$) on the ratio of the length of the disorder segment to the localization length, $L/\xi$. The same universality is observed in the spatial distribution of the intensity inside typical (non-resonant with respect to the transmission coefficient) realizations, presenting a s-like shape similar to that of the total average intensity for $T_{c}$ close to 1, which decays faster the lower is $T_{c}$. Evidence is given of the self-averaging nature of the random quantity $\log[I(x)]/x\simeq -1/\xi$. Higher-order moments of the intensity are also shown.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure