High‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection fingerprints as chemical descriptors to authenticate the origin, variety and roasting degree of coffee by multivariate chemometric methods

BACKGROUND: Coffee is one of the most popular beverages around the world, consumed as an infusion of ground roasting coffee beans with a characteristic taste and flavor. Two main varieties, Arabica and Robusta, are worldwide produced. Besides, the interest of consumers in quality attributes related to coffee production region and varieties is increasing, being necessary encouraging the development of simple methodologies to authenticate and to guarantee the coffee origin, variety, as well as the roasting degree to prevent fraudulent practices. RESULTS: C18 high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) fingerprints obtained after brewing the coffees without any sample treatment other than filtration (considerably reducing sample manipulation) were employed as sample chemical descriptors for coffee characterization and classification by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares regression-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). PLS-DA showed good classification capabilities regarding coffee origin, variety and roasting degree when employing HPLC-FLD fingerprints although overlapping for some sample groups occurred. However, the discrimination power increased when selecting HPLC-FLD fingerprinting segments richer in discriminant features, which were deduced from PLS-DA loading plots. In this case, excellent separation was observed and 100% classification rates for both PLS-DA calibrations and predictions were obtained (all samples were correctly classified within their corresponding groups). CONCLUSION: HPLC-FLD fingerprinting segments resulted to be suitable chemical descriptors to discriminate the origin (country of production), variety (Arabica and Robusta) and roasting degree of coffee. Therefore, HPLC-FLD fingerprinting can be proposed as a feasible, simple and cheap methodology to address coffee authentication, especially for developing coffee production countries

Insatisfacción corporal en adolescentes: relaciones con la actividad física e índice de masa corporal

Introducción Un alto porcentaje de adolescentes se muestran insatisfechos con su cuerpo. La preocupación o insatisfacción corporal es un indicador importante para diagnosticar posibles trastornos de la conducta alimentaria como la anorexia y la bulimia. Objetivos Este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar las relaciones entre: 1) insatisfacción corporal y actividad física; 2) insatisfacción corporal y composición corporal (IMC). Metodología Se utilizó una muestra de 110 alumnos y alumnas de 1º de ESO y 1º de Bachillerato de la localidad de madrileña de Alcobendas. Para valorar la insatisfacción corporal se utilizó el cuestionario Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-14), se medió la talla y el peso para obtener el IMC, y el cuestionario Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Childrens & Adolescents (PAQ-C/A) para valorar la práctica de actividad física. Resultados Se encuentran relaciones entre la insatisfacción corporal y la práctica de actividad física (r= -0,35; p< 0,001), y entre la insatisfacción corporal y el IMC (r= 0,32; p<0,001). No se encuentran diferencias por sexo y sí por edad en las medidas de actividad física (p<0,05), insatisfacción corporal (p<0,001) e IMC (p<0,001) Conclusiones 1) Existen asociaciones moderadas entre actividad física e insatisfacción corporal, y entre composición corporal e insatisfacción corporal, siendo el grupo de chicas en el que se observan mayores asociaciones. 2) Los primeros años de adolescencia son un periodo importante para iniciar cualquier acción preventiva o terapéutica ante los Trastornos de la Conducta Alimentaria

Authentication of the origin, variety and roasting degree of coffee samples by non-targeted HPLC-UV fingerprinting and chemometrics. Application to the detection and quantitation of adulterated coffee samples

In this work, non-targeted approaches relying on HPLC-UV chromatographic fingerprints were evaluated to address coffee characterization, classification, and authentication by chemometrics. In general, HPLC-UV fingerprints were good chemical descriptors for the classification of coffee samples by PLS-DA according to their country of origin, even for nearby countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia. Good classification was also observed according to the coffee variety (Arabica vs. Robusta) and the coffee roasting degree. Sample classification rates higher than 89.3% and 91.7% were obtained in all the evaluated cases for the PLS-DA calibrations and predictions, respectively. Besides, the coffee adulteration studies carried out by PLSR, and based on coffees adulterated with other production regions or variety, demonstrated the good capability of the proposed methodology for the detection and quantitation of the adulterant levels down to 15%. Calibration, cross-validation and prediction errors below 2.9, 6.5, and 8.9%, respectively, were obtained for most of the evaluated cases

Characterization, Classification and Authentication of Honey by Non-Targeted UHPLC-HRMS Chromatographic Fingerprints and Chemometric Methods

Honey is a natural substance produced by bees of the genus Apis. Depending on the raw material used for its production, honey can be classified into two large groups: blossom honey, which results from the metabolization of nectar extracted from flowers; and honeydew honey, in which bees use plant or insect secretions for its production. The physicochemical characteristics are different between these two types of honey. For example, honeydew honey is darker and is characterized by a high content of phenolic acids. On the contrary, blossom honey stands out for its abundance of flavonoids. Blossom honey can be also classified based on the pollen origin. Thus, honey with more than 45% of the pollen coming from the same species can be considered monofloral; otherwise, it is considered multifloral. Honey is one of the food products with the highest level of fraudulent practices. Most of the adulterations consist of ingredient dilution, adding sweet substances, such as syrups, sugar cane, or corn syrup, among others. In the market, this was reflected in the dubious drop in prices for this product. In the last few years, several instance of honey fraud have come to light. This work aimed to develop a non-targeted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) fingerprinting method to address the characterization, classification, and authentication of Spanish honey samples considering their botanical and geographical origin. A total of 136 kinds of honey from different Spanish production regions belonging to different botanical varieties were analyzed, including: blossom honey (orange blossom, rosemary, thyme, eucalyptus, and heather) and honeydew honey (holm oak, forest, and mountain). A simple sample treatment was carried out, consisting of dissolving 1 g of honey in 10 mL of water, followed by a 1:1 dilution with methanol. The chromatographic separation of the obtained extracts was performed using a Kinetex® C-18 core-shell column (100 × 4.6 mm I.D., 2.6 μm), working under gradient elution, using an aqueous solution of 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile as the mobile phase components. HRMS acquisition was performed using electrospray in negative ionization mode (−2500 V) in an LTQ-Orbitrap working in full scan MS (m/z 100-1000) at a resolution of 50,000 full-width at half maximum (FWHM). The obtained non-targeted UHPLC-HRMS fingerprints (peak signals as a function of retention time and m/z) were considered as chemical descriptors of the analyzed honey samples for principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). PLS-DA revealed good discrimination between blossom and honeydew honey. Furthermore, the obtained chemometric models allowed the achievement of very good classification among the different botanical varieties under study for both blossom and honeydew honey. The discrimination of honey regarding the different Spanish climate production regions was more limited, although some trends were observed. Thus, the non-targeted UHPLC-HRMS fingerprinting approach proved to be an appropriate methodology to address honey characterization, classification, and authentication based on their different botanical origin

Characterization, Classification and Authentication of Spanish Blossom and Honeydew Honeys by non-targeted HPLC-UV and off-line SPE HPLC-UV Polyphenolic Fingerprinting Strategies.

Honey is a highly consumed natural product produced by bees which is susceptible to fraudulent practices, some of them regarding their botanical origin. Two HPLC-UV non-targeted finger-printing approaches were evaluated in this work to address honey characterization, classification, and authentication based on honey botanical variety. The first method used no sample treatment and a universal reversed-phase chromatographic separation. On the contrary, the second method was based on an off-line SPE preconcentration method, optimized for the isolation and extraction of polyphenolic compounds, and a reversed-phase chromatographic separation opti-mized for polyphenols as well.. For the off-line SPE method, the use of HLB (3 mL, 60 mg) car-tridges, and 6 mL of methanol as eluent, allowed to achieve acceptable recoveries for the selected polyphenols. The obtained HPLC-UV fingerprints were subjected to exploratory principal com-ponent analysis (PCA) and classificatory partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to evaluate their viability as sample chemical descriptors for authentication purposes. Both HPLC-UV fingerprints resulted to be appropriate to discriminate between blossom-honeys and honeydew-honeys. However, superior performance was accomplished with off-line SPE HPLC-UV polyphenolic fingerprints, being able to differentiate among the different blos-som-honey samples under study (orange/lemon blossom, rosemary, thyme, eucalyptus, and heather). In general, this work demonstrated the feasibility of HPLC-UV fingerprints, especially those obtained after off-line SPE polyphenolic isolation and extraction, to be employed as honey chemical descriptors to address the characterization and classification of honey samples according to their botanical origin

Evaluación in vitro del potencial acaricida de Beauveria bassiana DS3.17 sobre la garrapata común (Rhipicephalus microplus) en Oaxaca, México

The tick Rhipicephalus microplus causes damage to cattle farming, has a great economic impact, and significantly influences the productivity and commercial competitiveness of the sector, mainly in tropical and subtropical areas of the country, generating annual losses of millions. Currently, the control of the ectoparasite using biological agents (mainly entomopathogenic fungi) has a high potential to reduce tick populations. The objective of the present study was to evaluate in vitro the acaricidal potential of Beauveria bassiana DS3.17 on engorged R. microplus females, by immersion of the mite in different concentrations of conidia of the fungus to determine the effects on reproductive parameters (total egg weight, hatching percentage, oviposition and nutrition indices). The evaluated concentrations of B. bassiana DS3.17 showed an acaricidal effect of up to 93.2 % in adults and a change in the behavior of the biological parameters of adult females, inhibiting oviposition between 75.84 and 79.60 %. As for the estimated reproduction index, a control of 45.23 to 83.79 % was obtained, the nutrition index was 10.21 and 10.67 %. The study showed a change in the behavior of reproductive parameters when B. bassiana DS3.17 was used, and each of the results showed significant differences; the concentrations of conidia affected the reproduction of the parasite with respect to the control, therefore, B. bassiana DS3.17 presented an acaricidal potential for the control of the tick.La garrapata Rhipicephalus microplus causa daños a la ganadería bovina, tiene un gran impacto económico e influye significativamente sobre la productividad y competitividad comercial del sector, principalmente en zonas tropicales y subtropicales del país, generando pérdidas anuales millonarias. Actualmente, el control del ectoparásito empleando agentes biológicos (hongos entomopatógenos, principalmente) tiene un elevado potencial para reducir las poblaciones de las garrapatas. El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar in vitro el potencial acaricida de Beauveria bassiana DS3.17 sobre hembras ingurgitadas de R. microplus, mediante inmersión del acaro en diferentes concentraciones de conidios del hongo para determinar los efectos sobre los parámetros reproductivos (peso total de huevos, porcentaje de eclosión, índice de ovoposición y nutrición). Las concentraciones evaluadas de B. bassiana DS3.17 evidenciaron un efecto acaricida de hasta un 93.2 % en adultos y un cambio en el comportamiento de los parámetros biológicos de las hembras adultas, inhibiendo la ovoposición entre 75.84 y 79.60 %. En cuanto al índice de reproducción estimada se obtuvo un control del 45.23 al 83.79 %, el índice de nutrición fue de 10.21 y 10.67 %. El estudio mostró un cambio en el comportamiento de los parámetros reproductivos cuando se utilizó B. bassiana DS3.17, y cada uno de los resultados mostraron diferencias significativas; las concentraciones de conidios afectaron la reproducción del parásito respecto al control, por lo que B. bassiana DS3.17 presentó un potencial acaricida para el control de la garrapata

The Crossroad of Ion Channels and Calmodulin in Disease

Calmodulin (CaM) is the principal Ca2+ sensor in eukaryotic cells, orchestrating the activity of hundreds of proteins. Disease causing mutations at any of the three genes that encode identical CaM proteins lead to major cardiac dysfunction, revealing the importance in the regulation of excitability. In turn, some mutations at the CaM binding site of ion channels cause similar diseases. Here we provide a summary of the two sides of the partnership between CaM and ion channels, describing the diversity of consequences of mutations at the complementary CaM binding domains.The Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade of the Government of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (Elkartek 2017 bG17 kk-2017/000843M50.17.EK.C6) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (BFU2015-66910 and RTI2018-097839) provided financial support for this work. E.N. is supported by a predoctoral grant of the Basque Government

INSTRUMENTACIÓN VIRTUAL DE UN SISTEMA DE GENERACIÓN EOLOELÉCTRICO INTERCONECTADO A LA RED

ResumenEn este artículo se muestra el diseño e implementación de un instrumento virtual, el cual permite medir voltajes y corrientes de un generador eoloeléctrico interconectado a red, desarrollado como prototipo para pruebas de laboratorio. Dicho generador eoloeléctrico está basado en un generador doblemente alimentado, un convertidor back to back y su correspondiente sistema de control. El instrumento virtual se implementó en el software LabVIEW, utilizando como tarjeta de adquisición de datos la tarjeta myRIO. Además de adquirir y mostrar las señales de voltaje y corriente en tiempo real del sistema eoloeléctrico, el instrumento virtual es capaz de almacenar los valores de dichas señales en un archivo para su posterior análisis. Cabe mencionar que este trabajo es la primera etapa de un trabajo más extenso, en el cual en un futuro se pretende ampliar las capacidades de la tarjeta myRIO, para adicionalmente implementar y monitorear estrategias de control del generador eoloeléctrico.Palabras Claves: Instrumentación virtual, LabVIEW, myRIO, WECS. VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTATION OF AN EOLOELECTRIC GENERATION SYSTEM INTERCONNECTED TO THE NETWORKAbstractThis article shows the design and implementation of a virtual instrument, which allows the measurement of voltages and currents of a grid connected Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS), developed as a prototype for laboratory tests. This WECS is based on a doubly fed generator, a back to back converter and its corresponding control system. The virtual instrument was implemented by using LabVIEW software, and the myRIO hardware as the data acquisition system. In addition to acquiring and displaying voltage and current signals in real time of the WECS, the virtual instrument is capable of storing the values of these signals in a file for further analysis. It is important to mention that this work is the first stage of a more extensive one; which is sought to expand the capabilities of the myRIO hardware, in order to additionally implement and monitor control strategies in the WECS.Keywords: LabVIEW, myRIO, virtual Instrumentation, WECS

The Role of Associations in Reducing the Emotional and Financial Impact on Parents Caring for Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Cross-Cultural Study

Caregivers’ emotions and finances are affected by the deterioration of functional capacity of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), both in Mexico and Spain. Patient associations may reduce this impact on caregivers. This study aims to study the role of two models of associations, inspired by two different cultural models, in how the services they provide can help decrease the emotional and financial impact on the caregivers of children with DMD. The sample consisted of 34 caregivers from Mexico and 40 from Spain recruited from Spanish hospitals and rare disease organizations in Spain and Mexico. The instruments used consisted of a sociodemographic and socioeconomic questionnaire, the CarerQol-7D, the PHQ-15, the Zarit Caregiver’s Burden Scale and the SWLS. The results showed that caregivers in Mexico are in better physical and psychological health than caregivers in Spain. They also receive more subsidies than those in Spain. Caregivers in Mexico have a greater well-being and are less affected by the economic impact of the disease due to the associations’ day-to-day work and the fact that they generate a network of health services that they make available to the patient free of charge. These differences may also be attributable to cultural issues and to the fact that Mexico has a deeply established culture of support.This work was supported by a Grant from the Education Department of the Basque Government (BOPV, 13 July 2021) (PRE_2021_2_0007)