Quality assessment of sardines during storage by measurement of fluorescent compounds

5 páginas, 2 figuras, 5 tablasSardine alterations during chilled storage (0°C) were investigated by measuring the fluorescence ratio between two excitation/emission maxima (393/463 nm, 327/415 nm) and compared with common quality indices. Sardines were also maintained at 15°C to accelerate all reactions occurring at 0°C. Other quality indices (total volatile base-nitrogen, free fatty acids, formation of conjugated dienes, and thiobarbituric acid values) were determined and the use of the fluorescence ratio (fluorescence shift, δF) was analyzed. A high correlation was found between the δF and the total volatile base-nitrogen (r = 0.93, at 0°C; r = 0.92, at 15°C).Xunta de Galicia (Project XUGA 402 01B93).Peer reviewe

Differential lipid damage in various muscle zones of frozen hake (Merluccius merluccius)

5 páginas, 5 tablas, 1 figura.-- The final publication is available at www.springerlink.comA comparison of the lipid damage produced in different hake zones was carried out during frozen storage at –11 and –18 7C. Three light muscle zones and the dark muscle were considered. Lipid oxidation [conjugated dienes; thiobarbituric acid index (TBA-i); fluorescence formation] and hydrolysis (free fatty acids, FFA) were determined. The most predominant lipid damage in all zones was hydrolysis, at the end of storage reaching values of about 40% (for the light muscle zones) and 12% (for the dark muscle) of the total lipids at –11 7C. Significant (P~0.05) correlation value (rp0.67–0.85) relationships between the frozen storage time and the FFA content were obtained for the four muscle zones at both temperatures. A comparison of the regression lines slopes in the different zones showed that a lower (P~0.05) lipolitic activity was produced in the dark muscle compared to the three light zones at both temperatures. A low lipid oxidation development was produced in the three light muscle parts, so that no significant differences between them could be assessed. However, the dark muscle showed a higher oxidation development (TBA-i and fluorescence formation) as a result of a higher lipid content and the presence of prooxidant constituents.European Community, Research Projects FAIR-CT95–1111 and AIR 3-CT94–1921.Peer reviewe

Andamios porosos (apatita/colágeno) de origen marino para aplicaciones biomédicas

1 póster presentado en las III Xornadas de Investigación BioIntegraSaúde 2015, Vigo 16 xuño 2015.-- E. López-Senra ... et al.FP7/REGPOT-2012-2013.1 (nº 316265, BIOCAPS); UE-INTERREG 2011-1/164 MARMED; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Project MAT2010-18281)Peer reviewe

Depressive symptoms, ruminative thinking, marijuana use motives, and marijuana outcomes: A multiple mediation model among college students in five countries

Treball Final de Grau en Medicina. Codi: MD1158. Curs acadèmic: 2018/2019.Background: Previous studies have evidenced that rumination and drinking motives may mediate the association between depressive symptoms and alcohol outcomes. The present study cross-culturally examined whether a similar mediation model may extend to marijuana. Specifically, we tested distinct rumination facets (problem-focused thoughts, counterfactual thinking, repetitive thoughts, and anticipatory thoughts) and marijuana use motives (social, coping, expansion, conformity, enhancement) as double-mediators of the paths from depressive symptoms to marijuana outcomes (use and consequences). Method: A comprehensive mediation path model was tested in a cross-sectional sample of college student marijuana users (n = 1,175) from five countries (U.S., Argentina, Uruguay, Spain, Netherlands). Multi-group models were tested to determine if the proposed mediational model was invariant across sex and different cultures/countries. Results: Depressive symptoms and marijuana outcomes were indirectly associated through ruminative thinking and marijuana motives. Specifically, higher depressive symptoms were associated with higher problem-focused thoughts; which in turn were associated with: a) higher endorsement of coping motives which in turn was associated with higher marijuana use and related consequences and b) lower endorsement of enhancement motives which in turn was associated with lower marijuana use and related consequences. The multi-group analyses showed that the model was invariant across sex and the five countries. Conclusions: The present research supports the existence of a universal (i.e., cross-national invariant) negative affect regulation pathway to marijuana use/misuse similar to those previously found with alcohol. Additional research is needed to confirm the role of enhancement motives in the associations of depression, rumination and marijuana outcomes

Generation of a cadmium-binding filamentous phage through cysteine-rich peptide display on PVIII

132-138M13 is a filamentous bacteriophage with a 6 nm thick and 1 µm length tubular structure. Approximately, 3000 subunits of PVIII, the major coat protein form a cylinder that encapsulates the M13 single-stranded DNA genome. Among capsid proteins sequences, PVIII gene is particularly amenable for the expression of recombinant peptides on the phage surface. It has been identified that thiol rich peptides are able to interact with heavy metals. In this work, we incorporated a heavy metal binding peptide to PVIII producing a viral particle capable of interacting with cadmium. For this purpose, we designed a chimeric gene composed of the coding sequence of a cysteine rich peptide linked to PVIII and cloned into a phagemid vector. Then, we established the optimal conditions for phage production by regulating the expression of the chimeric PVIII protein by using an isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) inducible system. The cysteine rich recombinant phage interacted with cadmium in a highly efficient manner. Considering this novel property, the recombinant phage produced in this work could be used as a nanotechnology tool in the development of affinity columns, concentration systems for cadmium analysis or bioremediation

Thermoelectric doping effect in Ca3Co4-xNixO9 ceramics

Ca3Co4-xNixO9 (x=0.01, 0.03, and 0.05) polycrystalline thermoelectric ceramics have been prepared by the classical solid state method. As a result of the Ni addition an increase in porosity has been detected. Moreover, the presence of Ni has been related with the increase of Ca2Co3O6 secondary phase and the appearance of a new NiO-CoO solid solution. However, for the 0.01-Ni doped samples an improvement in the thermoelectric performances has been measured. This effect has been related with a decrease in the resistivity values and an increase in the Seebeck coefficient. The raise in the power factor for the 0.01-Ni doped samples, compared with the undoped ones, is between 10 and 25% at 50 and 800 °C respectively. Moreover, the maximum power at 800 °C, around 0.25 mW/K2.m, is significantly higher than the best results obtained in Ni doped samples reported previously in the literature

Thermoelectric properties of directionally grown Bi2Ba2Co2Oδ/Ag composites: effect of annealing

Bi2Ba2Co2Oδ thermoelectric ceramics with Ag additions (0, 1, 3, and 5 wt%) have been successfully textured using the laser floating zone method. Microstructure has shown that samples are composed by thermoelectric grains, together with a high amount of secondary phases, and that 3 wt% Ag addition leads to the best grain orientation. These microstructural benefits have been reflected in the highest thermoelectric performances determined in these samples. It has also been found that annealing procedure leads to a drastic decrease of secondary phases amount and raises the oxygen content in the thermoelectric phase. These modifications are reflected in an important decrease of electrical resistivity, ρ (compared to the as-grown samples) without drastic modification of Seebeck coefficient, S. As a consequence, the highest thermoelectric performances, determined through the power factor, have been reached in the 3 wt% Ag textured and annealed samples in the whole measured temperature range. The maximum PF (=S/ρ) values at 650 °C determined in these samples are very close to the highest reported in single crystals or very low rate LFZ grown Bi2Ba2Co2Oδ compounds, making them very attractive for practical applications.This research has been supported by the Spanish MINECO-FEDER (MAT2013-46505-C3-1-R). The authors wish to thank the Gobierno de Aragón and Fondo Social Europeo (Consolidated Research Groups T87 and T12) for financial support.Peer Reviewe

Lean production management model under the change management approach to reduce order fulfillment times for Peruvian textile SMEs

Currently, small- and medium-sized enterprises face order fulfillment issues, thus generating reduced service levels. In addition, these companies are usually not aware of the importance of continuous improvement tools or of training staff as a mitigation strategy for this situation. Within this framework, the authors performed a literature review to compile production models through which downtimes could be reduced. The production model designed therefrom comprises Lean Manufacturing and work study tools within a Change Management approach. This design focuses on model implementation by small companies without requiring large investment, cutting-edge technology, or qualified personnel. Finally, an application case study was conducted in a small textile manufacturing company located at the Gamarra Fashion Center in Lima, Peru. The results that were reported revealed that late order fulfillment instances reduced by up to 18%, which had an impact on downtimes, unnecessary movements, and in-process inventory levels, thus increasing productivity by 85%