α-Glucosidase Inhibitor Isolated from Blechum pyramidatum

Blechum pyramidatum (Lam.) Urb. is a species of extensive medicinal use in the American continent. In fact, antidiabetic and anticancer preparations from this plant have been patented in Mexico, even though their active constituents are not yet known. It was recently discovered that B. pyramidatum inhibits the action of the -glucosidase enzyme, thereby corroborating the antidiabetic properties attributed to this plant. The primary purpose of this study was to identify and characterize the -glucosidase inhibitors from this species. Bioassay-guided fractionation of a crude extract of B. pyramidatum led to the isolation of a main - glucosidase inhibitor, Palmitic acid (IC50 237.5). This compound was identified by both spectroscopic and spectrometric analysis. Its inhibitory activity was similar to that of the antidiabetic drug acarbose (IC50 241.6 µM), which was used as a positive control in our bioassay. Kinetic analysis established that palmitic acid acted as a competitive inhibitor. Docking analysis predicted that this compound binds to the same site as acarbose does in the human intestinal α‑glucosidase (PDB: 3TOP). The presence of palmitic acid in B. pyramidatum and its potent inhibitory activity against α‑glucosidase enzyme provides solid evidence to support the antidiabetic use of this plant in traditional medicinBlechum pyramidatum (Lam.) Urb. is a species of extensive medicinal use in the American continent. In fact, antidiabetic and anticancer preparations from this plant have been patented in Mexico, even though their active constituents are not yet known. It was recently discovered that B. pyramidatum inhibits the action of the -glucosidase enzyme, thereby corroborating the antidiabetic properties attributed to this plant. The primary purpose of this study was to identify and characterize the -glucosidase inhibitors from this species. Bioassay-guided fractionation of a crude extract of B. pyramidatum led to the isolation of a main - glucosidase inhibitor, Palmitic acid (IC50 237.5). This compound was identified by both spectroscopic and spectrometric analysis. Its inhibitory activity was similar to that of the antidiabetic drug acarbose (IC50 241.6 µM), which was used as a positive control in our bioassay. Kinetic analysis established that palmitic acid acted as a competitive inhibitor. Docking analysis predicted that this compound binds to the same site as acarbose does in the human intestinal α‑glucosidase (PDB: 3TOP). The presence of palmitic acid in B. pyramidatum and its potent inhibitory activity against α‑glucosidase enzyme provides solid evidence to support the antidiabetic use of this plant in traditional medici

Canales de información y entretenimiento en el metro y en los autobuses de España.

The possibilities of development of information technologies have made possible the union of two such disparate areas as transportation and media. Now it is possible to enjoy a television channel sitting on the seat of public transport, something unthinkable twenty years ago. This opens up a field full of possibilities for managers, responsibles for the content and for advertisers, who have at their disposal a captive audience never before considered who may rebel against the interference of their public space. This article researches the characteristics, possibilities and the impact produced by the launch of two media channels in Madrid and Barcelona Underground and city buses in some Spanish cities.Las posibilidades del desarrollo de las tecnologías de la información han hecho posible la unión de dos ámbitos tan dispares como los medios de transporte y los medios de comunicación. Ya es posible disfrutar de un canal de televisión sentados en el asiento de los transportes públicos, algo impensable hace veinte años. Se abre así un campo lleno de posibilidades para los gestores, los responsables de contenidos y los publicistas, que tienen a su disposición una audiencia cautiva nunca antes considerada que puede rebelarse contra la injerecia de su espacio público. En este trabajo se investigan las características, las posibilidades y el impacto producido por la puesta en marcha de dos canales multimedia en el metro de Madrid y Barcelona y en los autobuses urbanos de algunas ciudades españolas

On the use of deep learning and computational fluid dynamics for the estimation of uniform momentum source components of propellers

This article proposes a novel method based on Deep Learning for the resolution of uniform momentum source terms in the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations. These source terms can represent several industrial devices (propellers, wind turbines, and so forth) in Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations. Current simulation methods require huge computational power, rely on strong assumptions or need additional information about the device that is being simulated. In this first approach to the new method, a Deep Learning system is trained with hundreds of Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations with uniform momemtum sources so that it can compute the one representing a given propeller from a reduced set of flow velocity measurements near it. Results show an overall relative error below the for momentum sources for uniform sources and a moderate error when describing real propellers. This work will allow to simulate more accurately industrial devices with less computational cost.Authors would like to thank the University Jaume I for the project UJI-B2021-70 and the spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación for the project PID2021-128405OB-I00. Researcher S. Iserte was supported by the postdoctoral fellowship APOSTD/2020/026 from Valencian Region Government and European Social Funds. J. Luis-Gómez is supported by FPU21/03740 doctoral grant from the Spanish Ministry of Universities.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

City-port relationships in Malaga, Spain: effects of the new port proposals on urban traffic

Traditionally, one of the most significant difficulties of the port-city relationship has been the issue of urban traffic hampering port operations and vice versa. The case of Malaga (Spain) is very special, given that its port, for historical reasons, is in close proximity to its urban centre. Port expansion towards deeper waters and its inherent increase in traffic flows has served to exacerbate the above problems. Thus, an ambitious project has been proposed to enable the transformation of underused port areas adjacent to the city for urban activities. Given the urban proximity, some areas of the port were required for urban integration as outlined in an agreement between the municipal and port authorities that was drafted in an urban plan revisited and modified in 2003. The subsequent transformation of wharves one and two has been very successful. However, in the current port development, there is vacant space alongside the new eastern dock, on which a maritime station for cruise ships has been installed. It is now proposed to enlarge this for 10,000 cruise passengers, and to create an area for a small marina and other facilities. This proposal also includes provision for a new 350-room hotel, in a remarkable tower building, and an aquarium. In order to evaluate the pressure of the new mobility flows that will be associated with the planned developments, a study of traffic and mobility has been carried out, analyzing, simulating, predicting and evaluating the degree of effects generated

Development of an Emergency Radio Beacon for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) used to locate manned aircrafts are not well suited to find and recover small crashed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). ELTs utilize an international satellite system for search and rescue (Cospas-Sarsat System), which should leverage its expensive resources to save lives as a priority. Besides, ELTs are too big and heavy to be used within small UAVs. Some of the existing solutions for this problem are based on receivers that detect signal strength, which may be a long and tedious process not suitable for user needs. Others do not have enough range or require radio license and expensive amateur radio receivers. This paper presents an emergency radio beacon specifically designed to locate small UAVs. It is triggered automatically in the event of a crash and allows finding and recovering a crashed UAV in a fast and simple way. It meets not only the required specifications of user-friendliness, size and weight of this kind of application, but also it is a high precision and low cost device. Besides, it has enough range and endurance. The experiments carried out show the operation of the proposed system

Evaluation of phytotoxic, cytotoxic and antiparasitic in vitro activities of Borreria verticillata, a weed of Panamanian coffee crops.

In recent years, there have been significant changes in weed populations in different agricultural production systems. Coffee production is economically important in the Republic of Panama, and the specie Borreria verticillata affects a significant portion of this crop. Weeds may directly affect the yields of economically important plants through two main ways: by producing allelochemicals which inhibit plant growth or by competition for nutrients and water availability in the soil. Borreria verticillata was selected to evaluate its phytotoxic activity by which this weed affects the coffee crops. In addition, we carried out antiparasitic evaluations for determining the activity of Borreria verticillata extract against three human parasites: Leishmania donovani, Trypanosoma cruzi and Plasmodium falciparum. The experimental results revealed that the extract prepared using the aerial parts of Borreria verticillata did not show significant phytotoxic and cytotoxic effects. On the other hand, the antiparasitic evaluations showed that the extract possessed only moderate activities against Plasmodium falciparum. Finally, we proceeded to identify the major chemical components of this extract and we obtained three known compounds: scualene (1), epoxyscualene (2) and borrecapine (3).In recent years, there have been significant changes in weed populations in different agricultural production systems. Coffee production is economically important in the Republic of Panama, and the specie Borreria verticillata affects a significant portion of this crop. Weeds may directly affect the yields of economically important plants through two main ways: by producing allelochemicals which inhibit plant growth or by competition for nutrients and water availability in the soil. Borreria verticillata was selected to evaluate its phytotoxic activity by which this weed affects the coffee crops. In addition, we carried out antiparasitic evaluations for determining the activity of Borreria verticillata extract against three human parasites: Leishmania donovani, Trypanosoma cruzi and Plasmodium falciparum. The experimental results revealed that the extract prepared using the aerial parts of Borreria verticillata did not show significant phytotoxic and cytotoxic effects. On the other hand, the antiparasitic evaluations showed that the extract possessed only moderate activities against Plasmodium falciparum. Finally, we proceeded to identify the major chemical components of this extract and we obtained three known compounds: scualene (1), epoxyscualene (2) and borrecapine (3)

Evaluation of anti-Bothrops asper venom activity of ethanolic extract of Brownea rosademonte leaves

Significant inhibition of the coagulant and hemorrhagic effects of Bothrops asper venom was demonstrated by ethanolic extract prepared from the leaves of Brownea rosademonte. In vitro experiments preincubating 5.5 mg extract kg–1 b.m. for 30 min with a minimum hemorrhagic dose of venom (273.8 ± 16.1 µg of venom kg–1 b.m.) lowered the hemorrhagic activity of the venom in CD-1 mice by 51.5 ± 2.6 %. Additionally, 1.7 mg extract L–1 plasma prolonged 5.1 times the plasma coagulation time. Fractionation of the extract led to isolation of two compounds: ononitol (1) and quercetrin (2). The structure of compounds 1 and 2 was established by spectroscopic analyses, including APCI-HR-MS and NMR (1H, 13C, HSQC, HMBC and COSY). Quercetrin prolonged 2.6 times the plasma coagulation time demonstrating that this compound was one of the active constituents of the Brownea rosademonte extract

A new strategy for a separate manufacture of arabinooligosaccharides and oligogalacturonides by hydrothermal treatment of sugar beet pulp

Abstract Sugar beet pulp (SBP) samples were subjected to a two-step non-isothermal autohydrolysis process in order to obtain mixtures enriched in oligogalacturonides (OGalA) and arabinooligosaccharides (AOS) in separate streams. Operating at a maximum temperature of 130 °C, mixtures containing up to 30.4% oven-dry basis (o.d.b.) of OGalA with an OGalA/AOS ratio of 5.0 g/g were obtained during the first stage. Then, the treated solids were subjected to a second treatment at temperatures in the range 160–175 °C. When those solids were treated up to 175 °C, a mixture mainly made up of AOS (37.5% o.d.b.) with an AOS/OGalA ratio of 3.91 g/g was obtained as an effluent from the reactor. In order to increase their purity, both streams were then subjected to different refining steps. A product enriched in highly methylated and partially acetylated OGalA (42.5% o.d.b., degree of methylation (DM) = 69.2% mol/mol and degree of acetylation (DA) = 36.4% mol/mol), containing 17.2% o.d.b. of non-volatile non-identified compounds, was obtained by membrane filtration of the first-stage liquors, whereas a second one, mainly made up of AOS and galactooligosaccharides (GalOS) (55.0% AOS o.d.b., 13.8% GalOS o.d.b., and 13.3% non-volatile non-identified compounds, o.d.b.), was manufactured after an ion exchange treatment followed by membrane filtration of the second-stage liquors. This strategy was demonstrated to be a suitable and scalable alternative for the separate production of refined mixtures rich in OGalA or neutral pectic-oligosaccharides. Both types of products can result in different effects on the intestinal microbiota: AOS and GalOS show a significant bifidogenic effect and they could be consumed alone or combined with selected probiotic strains of Bifidobacteria for improving an unbalanced microbiota, whereas OGalA has been demonstrated to have a variety of biological properties and can promote the growing of some bacteria such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii , a butyrate-producing microorganism underrepresented in patients with active IBD and infectious colitis.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. GRC-ED431C 2022/08Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2020-116717RB-I00Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. RYC2021-031964-IAgencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PRE2021-098927Universidade de Vigo/CISU

Diagnóstico de fallas con redes neuronales. parte ii: reconocimiento de flujos

En el presente trabajo el sistema de diagnóstico presentado en la parte I es modificado para supervisar procesos que evolucionan en forma compleja ante la presencia de fallas. Al igual que en la Parte I, se considera que cuando una falla afecta a un proceso, cada variable evoluciona siguiendo una trayectoria. Sin embargo, esta vez dicha trayectoria no es única, sino que pertenece a un conjunto de infinitas trayectorias posibles denominado flujo. Cada falla tiene asociado un flujo particular para cada variable. Entonces, en un proceso afectado por una falla, el problema del diagnóstico de fallas se traduce a reconocer, para todas las variables, a cuál flujo pertenece la trayectoria que está siendo observada. Al identificar los flujos se habrá identificado la falla que los provoca. Modelado el diagnóstico de fallas como un problema de reconocimiento de flujos, se realizó un desarrollo teórico que culminó con la definición tanto de la estructura como del método de entrenamiento de las redes neuronales empleadas por el nuevo sistema de diagnóstico. En las pruebas hechas, el nuevo sistema de diagnóstico presentó muy buen comportamiento, siendo el diagnóstico exacto, de alta resolución y estable frente al ruido. Finalmente, la teoría desarrollada también indica cómo deben ser escaladas las redes para supervisar procesos de mayor complejidad.The diagnostic system introduced in Part I is modified in this work for supervising complex processes when faults present themselves. As in Part I, it is supposed that when a fault affects a process, then each variable evolves fo-llowing a trajectory. However, this time the aforementioned trajectory is not unique but belongs to a set of infinite possible trajectories named flow. Each fault in a particular flow is associated with each variable. Faults affecting a process can then be diagnosed by recognising which flow the trajectory being observed belongs to for every variable in turn. Once flows have been identified, then the fault causing them is also identified. Theory was de-veloped after modelling fault diagnosis as being a flow recognition problem, definitions being yielded for both structure and training method for the artificial neural networks used by the new diagnostic system. The diagnostic system performed well in tests, diagnosis being exact, having high, stable resolution in the presence of noise. The theory so developed recommends networks being scaled-up for supervising more complex processes

Diagnóstico de fallas con redes neuronales. parte 1: reconocimiento de trayectorias

La investigación realizada tuvo como objetivo la formulación de un método para el diseño de un sistema de diagnóstico de fallas para plantas químicas utilizando redes neuronales artificiales. El diagnóstico de fallas tiene como misión identificar la falla que está afectando a un proceso dado a través del análisis de las señales suministradas por los sensores del proceso. Las redes neuronales son modelos matemáticos que intentan reproducir la actividad cognoscitiva del cerebro humano. Estas se caracterizan por su estructura y el método de aprendizaje utilizado. El problema del diagnóstico de fallas se aborda a partir de la perspectiva de la identificación de las trayectorias (secuencias temporales de datos) que describen las variables del proceso al ser afectado por una falla. De esta forma, reconocidas las trayectorias, se habrá identificado la falla asociada. El desarrollo teórico realizado recomienda una estructura y un método de entrenamiento optimizado para las redes neuronales a emplear. Tanto la estructura como el método de entrenamiento propuesto fueron evaluados realizando estudios comparativos con estructuras y un método de entrenamiento tradicionales. Los resultados así obtenidos mostraron la superioridad de las redes neuronales diseñadas y entrenadas con el método propuesto en este trabajo. Salvo en procesos simples, el diagnóstico de fallas es más completo que el reconocimiento de trayectorias porque cada falla puede provocar un conjunto infinito de trayectorias (flujo). Por ese motivo, los fundamentos establecidos en el trabajo son utilizados en la parte II, donde el análisis se extiende al reconocimiento de flujos.The present investigation was focused on formulating a method for designing a fault diagnosis system for chemical plants by using artificial neural networks. Fault diagnosis is aimed at identifying a fault which affects a given process by analysing the signs supplied by process sensors. Neuronal networks are mathematical models which try to imitate the functioning of the human brain. A neural network is defined by its structure and the learning method used. The difficulty with diagnosing faults lies in recognising the tralectories (temporal series of data) followed by process variables when a fault affects the process; when tralectories are recognised, the associated fault is also identified. The theory so developed recommended an optimised structure and training method for the neural networks to use. Both the proposed structure and the training method were tested by carrying out comparative studies between traditional structures and a training method. The results showed the superiority of the neural networks designed and trained with the method proposed in this work. Except for simple processes, fault diagnosis is a more complex problem than simply identifying tralectories, because a fault may cause an infinite set of tralectories (i.e. flow). The fundaments established in this work are thus used in Part II, where the analysis is extended to recognise flows