EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT SOURCES OF HYDROXYL ON BIOMASS PRETREATMENT AND HYDROLYSIS

Lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment is a fundamental step in the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. It is responsible for the disruption and removal of lignin and hemicellulose from the lignocellulosic matrix, improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. Alkaline pretreatment has been shown to be successful on agricultural residues and dedicated energy crops. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pretreatment of switchgrass, wheat straw, corn stover, and miscanthus using calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and sodium hydroxide at the same hydroxyl concentration, 60% moisture content, and two temperatures for seven days. Enzymatic hydrolysis was also performed and the glucose produced measured. The composition of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin before and after pretreatment were quantified according to the standard procedures developed by the NREL for biomass. The hydrolysis was performed at 50°C and 150 rpm. The enzyme loading was 60 FPU/g cellulose. Overall, calcium hydroxide pretreatment resulted in the lowest delignification and structural carbohydrates after pretreatment, as well as lowest glucose yield; In addition to having a higher cost and carbon dioxide emission then sodium and potassium hydroxides. Sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide had similar performance in terms of composition changes due to pretreatment and glucose yield after enzymatic hydrolysis

Chemical composition and anti-diabetic properties of Cytisus multiflorus

Bakground and aims: The interest on plants with potential medicinal properties has been increasing worldwide. In the Iberian Peninsula there are some endemic species known by the population for their pharmacologic activity with valorization potential that have not been yet characterized. The white Spanish broom (Cytisus multiflorus) is described as having anti-diabetic effect [1] and in a preliminary the hypoglycemic and hyper-insulinemic effect of an aqueous extract has been shown [2]. The aim of this work was to fractionate and analyse the composition of the aqueous extract of C. multiflorus flowering parts and evaluate its potential as an anti-diabetic agent. Materials and methods: The aqueous extract was primarily fractionated by SPE using water:methanol (W:Me) eluent (a 10% step-wise gradient W:Me from 100:0 to 0:100) followed by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The most relevant fraction were analysed by LC-MS to determine the chemical composition. Total fenol content was determined by a modified Folin-Ciocalteau method and the anti-oxidant activity was evaluated by the DPPH mehod. Finally, the hipoglicemic potential was evaluated in vivo using glucose intolerant rats (GIR). Results: Eleven fractions of the bulk extract were obtained. Seven of these fractions (10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 e 80% Me) were found to have a relevant compounds, mostly flavonoid compounds, namely, rutin (50, 60 and 70% Me fractions), ferrulic acid (30% Me), referred as having hypoglicemic effect. The fractions obtained with 50 and 70% Me showed the highest content in phenol equivalents and the highest anti-oxidant effect were found in the 50 and 60% Me fractions. The 30 and 60% Me fraction had no effect on the post-prandial glicemia. Conclusions: The 30, 50, 60 and 70% Me fractions, due to their chemical composition and anti-oxidant effects were the most promising to have anti-diabetic effect. However, the 30 and 60% Me were found to be ineffective. The 50% Me fraction showed both a high content of flavonoid compounds and the highest anti-oxidant power which suggest that it may constitute the most promising one. The anti-diabetic properties of this fraction should be investigated. [1] Camejo-Rodrigues J. et al. (2003). J. Ethnopharmacol, 89, 199-209 [2] Célia M. Antunes, Laurinda R. Areias, Inês P. Vieira, Ana C. Costa, M. Teresa Tinoco, & Júlio Cruz-Morais (2009). Rev. Fitoterapia 9 (Supl.1): 91

Influencia de los factores ambientales en el desove de los esciénidos en la zona costera de Buenos Aires, Argentina

La ictiofauna de las aguas costeras de la provincia de Buenos Aires está dominada por siete especies de esciénidos: Micropogonias furnieri, Cynoscion guatucupa, Macrodon ancylodon, Pogonias cromis, Umbrina canosai, Paralonchurus brasiliensis y Menticirrhus americanus. Con el propósito de describir la estrategia de desove de estas especies en las aguas costeras de Argentina, se analizó la relación entre las hembras de esciénidos en puesta y los factores ambientales. Las especies de esciénidos fueron clasificadas en tres grupos de acuerdo con el intervalo termohalino de las áreas de puesta: (a) desovante estuarino asociado al frente salino de fondo, incluyó las especies que desovaron principalmente en el área interna del estuario en concordancia con los mayores gradientes horizontales de salinidad de fondo (M. furnieri, M. ancylodon y P. cromis); (b) desovante estuarino no asociado al frente salino de fondo, incluyó las especies que desovaron principalmente en la zona media del estuario, en aguas salobres con salinidades que oscilaron entre 24 y 30 (P. brasiliensis y M. americanus);y (c) desovante marino, incluyó las especies que desovaron siempre en aguas marinas (valores de salinidad superiores a 30) tanto en la zona externa del estuario del Río de la Plata como en El Rincón, al sur de la provincia de Buenos Aires (C. guatucupa, U. canosai y M. furnieri). Micropogonias furnieri, el esciénido más abundante de Argentina que presenta la mayor distribución latitudinal, puede comportarse como desovante marino o estuarial según las características ambientales. Esto le permite lograr un mayor aprovechamiento de cada ecosistema y, en consecuencia, aumentar sus probabilidades de supervivencia.The fish community in coastal waters of the Buenos Aires Province is dominated by seven sciaenid species: Micropogonias furnieri, Cynoscion guatucupa, Macrodon ancylodon, Pogonias cromis, Umbrina canosai, Paralonchurus brasiliensis, and Menticirrhus americanus. The relation between sciaenid spawning females and environmental factors was examined in order to describe the spawning strategy of these species in Argentine coastal waters. Sciaenid species were classified into three groups according to the thermohaline range of the spawning areas: (a) estuarine spawners associated with the bottom salinity front comprised those species that spawned in the inner area of the estuary in accordance with the main horizontal salinity gradients at the bottom (M. furnieri, M. ancylodon, and P. chromis); (b) estuarine spawners not associated with the bottom salinity front comprised those species that spawned mainly in the middle of the estuary, in brackish water with salinities ranging from 24 to 30 (P. brasiliensis and M. americanus); and (c) marine spawners comprised those species that always spawned in salt water (salinity values higher than 30) in the outer area of the Río de la Plata Estuary or El Rincón, in the southern part of Buenos Aires Province (C. guatucupa, U. canosai, and M. furnieri). Micropogonias furnieri, the most abundant sciaenid in Argentina that presents the highest latitudinal distribution, can behave as a marine or estuarine spawner depending on the environmental characteristics. This allows it to make better use of each ecosystem and thus increase its survival chances.Fil: Militelli, Maria Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero; ArgentinaFil: Rodrigues, Karina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero; ArgentinaFil: Cortés, Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero; ArgentinaFil: Macchi, Gustavo Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero; Argentin

Skipped spawning in the Patagonian stock of Argentine Hake (Merluccius hubbsi)

We analyzed the macroscopic and histological maturity data of Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) collected off Patagonia in the spawning area of the Patagonian stock of this species between 2005 and 2014 to determine the frequency of skipped spawning. This study revealed that the only evidence of skipped spawning observed for Argentine hake was the resting stage. Analysis of 58,891 adult females of Argentine hake sampled during their reproductive peak indicates that, annually, between 6% and 22% of them had skipped spawning. These females were located mostly in the periphery of the spawning area, in deeper (>90 m) and colder waters (7–8°C). Individuals that had skipped spawning had a more intense feeding activity and a better nutritional condition (K=0.68–0.75) than females collected in the main spawning area according to the Fulton’s condition index. In contrast, postspawning females showed the poorest condition (K=0.62–0.68) because of the energy cost involved with reproduction. Females that had skipped spawning were mostly young individuals with a modal age of 3 years and a modal size of 38 cm TL. These results indicate that a significant proportion of females that had completed their first annual spawning could skip the next spawning event and stay on the periphery of the reproductive area to feed.Fil: Macchi, Gustavo Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones y Desarrollo Pesquero; ArgentinaFil: Diaz, Marina Vera. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones y Desarrollo Pesquero; ArgentinaFil: Leonarduzzi, Ezequiel. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones y Desarrollo Pesquero; ArgentinaFil: Militelli, Maria Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones y Desarrollo Pesquero; ArgentinaFil: Rodrigues, Karina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones y Desarrollo Pesquero; Argentin

Efeito Hipoglicemiante de um Extracto Aquoso de Cytisus multiflorus

Efeito Hipoglicemiante de um Extracto Aquoso de Cytisus multiflorus I. P. Vieira1, A. C. Costa1,2, D. M. Teixeira1,2,3, C. M. Antunes1,4 & J. Cruz-Morais1,2 1Departamento de Química; 2Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas (ICAAM), 3Laboratório Hércules, Universidade de Évora, Largo dos Colegiais 2, 7000 Évora; 4Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular (CNC), Universidade de Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra; [email protected] Actualmente o interesse pelas plantas medicinais tem vindo a aumentar pois estas apresentam diversas actividades farmacológicas, entre as quais se inclui o efeito anti-diabético. A flora nativa portuguesa inclui várias plantas às quais se atribuem propriedades hipoglicemiantes, sem que estas tenham, no entanto, sido ainda cientificamente demonstradas. O objectivo deste trabalho foi estudar a possível acção hipoglicemiante de Cytisus multiflorus, uma planta da flora portuguesa tradicionalmente usada como agente etnofarmacológico no tratamento da diabetes. O efeito do extracto aquoso de C. multiflorus foi avaliado em roedores que apresentaram anomalias das curvas de tolerância à glicose oral, seleccionados duma colónia de ratos Wistar. Com este ensaio, determinaram-se as insulinemias pós-prandiais e foram avaliados alguns indicadores serológicos e histológicos de toxicidade [1]. Em resposta a este tratamento com o extracto de C. multiflorus, observou-se uma diminuição significativa das glicemias pós-prandiais dependente da dose. Observou-se também, um aumento dependente da dose das insulinemias pós-prandiais. Deste modo, o extracto aquoso teve um efeito hipoglicemiante, provavelmente devido à estimulação da secreção de insulina, comprovando-se a sua validade como agente etnofarmacológico para o controlo da diabetes tipo 2 [1]. Perante estas evidências, procedeu-se ao fraccionamento do extracto de C. multiflorus, de forma a caracterizá-lo e a identificar as principais famílias de compostos nele presentes. Além disso, pretende-se também avaliar in vitro a potencial acção das fracções, identificando assim a(s) fracção(ões) activa(s) no controlo da diabetes tipo 2. Futuramente, estas fracções irão ser testadas em linhas celulares secretoras de insulina (BRIN-BD11) e/ou estudos in vivo, para avaliar o possível efeito insulinotrópico bem como os mecanismos de acção do extracto. Uma vez identificadas as fracções activas, proceder-se-á à identificação dos principais princípios activos que possam ser responsáveis pela actividade hipoglicemiante e/ou insulinotrópica, utilizando técnicas analíticas como Cromatografia Líquida de Elevada Eficiência (HPLC) com detecção de Diode Array (HPLC-DAD) e de Espectrometria de Massa (LC-MS). [1] C.M. Antunes, L.R. Areias, I.P. Vieira, A.C. Costa, M.T. Tinoco, & J. Cruz-Morais (2009). Rev. Fitoterapia 9 (Supl.1): 91 (Abstract)

Production Of Vegetable Oil Blends And Structured Lipids And Their Effect On Wound Healing

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Two oil blends (sunflower/canola oils 85/15 (BL1) and canola/linseed oils 70/30 (BL2)), were prepared and enzymatically interesterified to be applied to surgically-induced wounds in rats. Following surgery, the animals were submitted to the Treatment with Physiological Saline (TPS) (control group), Blends (TBL), and Structured Lipids (TSL). The control group (TPS) received physiological saline solution for 15 days. In TBL, BL1 was administered during the inflammation phase (days 0-3) and BL2 in the tissue formation and remodeling phase (days 4-15). In TSL, Structured Lipid 1 (SL1) and Structured Lipid 2 (SL2) were used instead of BL1 and BL2, respectively. The aim of this study was to compare wound closure evolution among rats treated with the blends or structured lipids versus control rats treated with physiological saline. The wound healing process was evaluated by measuring the wound areas along the treatments and the concentrations of cytokines. An increase in the areas of wounds treated with the blends and structured lipids in the inflammatory phase was observed, followed by a steeper closure curve compared to wounds treated with physiological saline. The changes observed during the inflammatory phase suggest a potential therapeutic application in cutaneous wound healing which should be further investigated.512415427Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

The impasses on federal compensatory transferences to exporting states

O art. 91 do Ato das Disposições Constitucionais Transitórias prevê a realização de repasses financeiros da União para Estados, por regramento a cargo de lei complementar, cuja edição se tornou mandatória a partir da Emenda Constitucional nº 42/2003 – mesmo instrumento que alçou à esfera constitucional a desoneração do ICMS sobre as exportações, instituída pela chamada Lei Kandir. O Supremo Tribunal Federal declarou omissão inconstitucional do Legislativo Federal na edição do normativo, o que traz à tona, para além do puro montante e critério de rateio, problemáticas como a do limite temporal das transferências e do aproveitamento de créditos, analisadas, no presente trabalho, a partir de método dedutivo e em uma perspectiva jurídico-econômica, concluindo-se pela necessária observância dessas particularidades para a devida equalização federativa.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio