1,384 research outputs found

    Effect of soluble collagen hydrolysate from Prionace glauca skin in the expression of human fibroblast collagen

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    1 póster presentado al 5TH Trans-Atlantic Fisheries Technology Conference (45th) WEFTA MeetingSeafood discards and by-products represent a management and environmental problem for the fishery industry. In last European CFP (UE)1380/2013 regulation, stakeholders are encouraged to find alternative uses for these discards and subproducts different from direct human consumption. One potential for these materials is obtaining high value-added products such as proteins with technological properties (collagen and gelatins), peptides with functional properties (antimicrobial activities, antioxidant, antiproliferative and anti-hypertensive) or hemo-pigments (myoglobin).The authors are grateful to the “Programa Operativo FEDER, Cooperación Transfronteriza España-Portugal” for the financial support through the projet 0687_NOVOMAR_1P.Peer reviewe

    Vibrational and thermal characterization of seeds, pulp, leaves and seed oil of Rosa rubiginosa

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    Rosa rubiginosa L. seed oil has been studied for its application in skin care products, but the chemical nature of seeds, pulp and even leaves, apart from that of oil, is also relevant with a view to the application of this weed for biodiesel production. All these vegetal materials were studied by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for characterisation purposes. FTIR bands at 3005, 2924, 1740, 1654 and 1456 cm-1 were used to estimate the iodine index, suitable for biofuels, and the oxidation stability degree. From the viewpoint of the thermal stability, both the seed oil (for which pyrolysis occurs at 462°C), the raw seeds and the rosehip pulp (with decomposition temperatures of 373°C and 333°C, respectively) showed potential as a biomass feedstock for conversion into biofuels. Caracterización térmica y vibracional de las semillas, pulpa, hojas y aceite de semillas de Rosa rubiginosa. El aceite de semillas de R. rubiginosa L. ha sido estudiado para su aplicación en productos para el cuidado de la piel, pero la naturaleza química de las semillas, pulpa y hojas, además de la del aceite, también es importante con miras a la aplicación de esta mala hierba para la producción de biodiesel. Los materiales vegetales mencionados se han estudiado mediante espectroscopía infrarroja (FTIR) y calorimetría diferencial de barrido (DSC) con fines de caracterización. Las bandas del espectro infrarrojo en 3005, 2924, 1740, 1654 y 1456 cm-1 han sido utilizadas para estimar el índice de yodo, adecuado para los biocombustibles, y el grado de estabilidad a la oxidación. Desde el punto de vista de la estabilidad térmica, tanto el aceite de semillas (para el que la pirólisis se produce a 462ºC) como las semillas crudas y la pulpa (con temperaturas de descomposición de 373°C y 333°C, respectivamente) mostraron potencial como materia prima de biomasa para su conversión en biocombustibles

    Building thermal storage technology: Compensating renewable energy fluctuations

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    Emerging technologies and new intelligent management systems will be needed to rise to the energy challenges posed by buildings today. Thermally activated building systems (TABS) are attracting growing interest on the back of their energy savings potential. The TABS studied in this article, a new prefabricated panel designed for installation in residential building façades, was characterised by the high thermal inertia afforded by the phase change materials in its composition. The design and assessment of the potential savings derived from TABS require specific characterisation methodologies to estimate the amount of useful energy available to control the indoor environment. A two-stage approach was adopted for the TABS studied here with ``ideal'' operating control (the building is assumed to be at a constant desired temperature). The first stage involved a simplified method for characterising system behaviour based on performance maps developed from CFD simulations. Such maps can be used to quickly assess changes in system energy performance following on variations in design and operating parameters. In the second, the TABS was integrated into a building with a simplified model to assess monthly energy demand to evaluate the system potential for energy savings in representative types of Spanish single-family housing in different climate zones. The first-stage findings showed that given the system significant inertia, it discharged for several days, even when charging occurred only on the first, ensuring a wide operating range adaptable to renewable resource limitations. The analysis of potential, in turn, revealed that savings of over 40% in heating demand are possible even under the least favourable circumstances.This study was funded by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the INPHASE (RTC-2015-3583-5) and DACAR (BIA2016-77431-C2-2-R), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the University of Seville under its Research Plan VI (VPPI-US). Prof. Cabeza would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to her research group GREiA (2017 SGR 1537). GREiA is certified agent TECNIO in the category of technology developers from the Government of Catalonia. This work is partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia programme

    Antifungal activity against Fusarium culmorum of stevioside, Silybum marianum seed extracts, and their conjugate complexes

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    Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a disease that poses a major challenge in cereal production that has important food and feed safety implications due to trichothecene contamination. In this study, the effect of stevioside—a glycoside found in the leaves of candyleaf (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni)—was evaluated in vitro against Fusarium culmorum (W.G. Smith) Sacc., alone and in combination (in a 1:1 molar ratio) with polyphenols obtained from milk thistle seeds (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn). Different concentrations, ranging from 32 to 512 µg·mL−1, were assayed, finding EC50 and EC90 inhibitory concentrations of 156 and 221 µg·mL−1, respectively, for the treatment based only on stevioside, and EC50 and EC90 values of 123 and 160 µg·mL−1, respectively, for the treatment based on the stevioside–polyphenol conjugate complexes. Colony formation inhibition results were consistent, reaching full inhibition at 256 µg·mL−1. Given that synergistic behavior was observed for this latter formulation (SF = 1.43, according to Wadley’s method), it was further assessed for grain protection at storage, mostly directed against mycotoxin contamination caused by the aforementioned phytopathogen, confirming that it could inhibit fungal growth and avoid trichothecene contamination. Moreover, seed tests showed that the treatment did not affect the percentage of germination, and it resulted in a lower incidence of root rot caused by the pathogen in Kamut and winter wheat seedlings. Hence, the application of these stevioside–S. marianum seed extract conjugate complexes may be put forward as a promising and environmentally friendly treatment for the protection of cereal crops and stored grain against FHB

    Comparative gene expression of gonadotropins (FSH and LH) and peptide levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRHs) in the pituitary of wild and cultured Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) broodstocks

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    12 páginas, 8 figuras, 2 tablas.The Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) is a valuable flatfish for aquaculture, but it presents important reproductive problems in captivity. Spawning is achieved by wild-caught breeders but cultured broodstocks fail to spawn spontaneously and, when they do, eggs are unfertilized. To gain knowledge on the physiological basis underlying this reproductive dysfunction, this study aimed at analyzing comparative hormone levels between wild and cultured broodstocks at the spawning season. The Senegalese sole gonadotropin (GTH) subunits, FSHβ, LHβ and GPα, were cloned and qualitative (in situ hybridization) and quantitative (real-time PCR) assays developed to analyze pituitary GTH gene expression. In females, FSHβ and GPα mRNA levels were higher in wild than in cultured broodstocks, whereas in males all three subunits were highest in cultured. By ELISA, three GnRH forms were detected in the pituitary, displaying a relative abundance of GnRH2 > GnRH1 > GnRH3. All GnRHs were slightly more abundant in wild than cultured females, whereas no differences were observed in males. Plasma levels of vitellogenin and sex steroids were also analyzed. Results showed endocrine differences between wild and cultured broodstocks at the spawning period, which could be related to the endocrine failure of the reproductive axis in cultured breeders.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) (AGL2006-13777-C01), the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) (JACUMAR, II National Plan for the Cultivation of Sole) and the Regional Government of Galicia (PGIDIT06RMA004E). J.M. Guzmán received a FPI fellowship from the MEC. J.B. Ortiz-Delgado was supported by the “Ramón y Cajal” program (MEC, Spain).Peer reviewe

    Velocity-space sensitivity and tomography of scintillator-based fast-ion loss detectors

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    A simple model for the instrument function of scintillator-based fast-ion loss detectors (FILD) has been developed which accounts for the orbit trajectories in the 3D detector geometry and for the scintillator response. It allows us to produce synthetic FILD signals for a direct comparison between experiments and simulations. The model uses a weight function formalism to relate the velocity-space distribution of fast-ion losses reaching the detector pinhole to the scintillator pattern obtained experimentally, which can be understood as a distortion of the velocity-space distribution due to the finite resolution of the system. The tool allows us to recover the undistorted velocity-space distribution of the absolute flux of fast-ion losses reaching the detector pinhole from an experimental measurement using tomographic inversion methods, which can reveal additional details of the velocity-space distribution of the lost ions.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness FIS2015-69362-P (MINECO/ FEDER,UE), RYC-2011-09152 and ENE2012-31087Marie Curie FP7 Integration Grant (No. PCIG11-GA-2012-321455)EUROfusion Consortium 63305
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