Influencia de la carga de sólido en la producción de D-xilosa mediante hidrólisis del hueso de aceituna con ácido sulfúrico diluido

The selective hydrolysis of hemicellulose from olive stones was attempted in order to achieve a maximum D-xylose yield. For this aim, batch hydrolysis was conducted under different operating conditions of temperature, acid concentration and solid loading. Firstly, distilled water, sulphuric acid and nitric acid were assessed as hydrolytic agents at different temperatures (200, 205, 210 and 220 °C) and at a fixed acid concentration (0.025 M). Sulphuric acid and 200 °C were selected for the subsequent dilute acid hydrolysis optimization based on the obtained D-xylose yields. The combined influence of solid loading (from 29.3 to 170.7 g olive stones into 300 mL acid solution) and sulphuric acid concentration (0.006–0.034 M) on the release of D-xylose was then estimated by response surface methodology. According to a statistical analysis, both parameters had significant interaction effects on D-xylose production. The results illustrated that the higher the solid loading, the higher the required acid concentration. The decrease in the solid/liquid ratio in the reactor had a positive effect on D-xylose extraction and on the amount of acid used. The optimum solid loading and sulphuric acid concentration were determined to be 50 g (solid/liquid ratio 1/6) and 0.016 M, respectively. Under these conditions, the predicted D-xylose yield (expressed as g of sugar per 100 g of dry matter fed) was 20.4 (87.2% of maximum attainable).Se ha desarrollado una hidrólisis selectiva de la fracción hemicelulósica del hueso de aceituna con el fin de obtener el máximo rendimiento de D-xilosa. Para ello las hidrólisis se llevaron a cabo en un reactor discontinuo a distintas condiciones de temperatura, concentración de ácido y carga de sólidos. En primer lugar se evaluó la capacidad hidrolítica del agua destilada y de los ácidos nítrico y sulfúrico a distintas temperaturas (200, 205, 210 y 220°C) manteniendo fija la concentración de ácido (0,025 M). A partir de los rendimientos en D-xilosa obtenidos se seleccionó el ácido sulfúrico y una temperatura de 200 °C para la posterior optimización del proceso. La influencia conjunta de la carga de sólidos (desde 29,3 a 170,7 g de hueso de aceituna en 300 mL de disolución ácida) y de la concentración de ácido sulfúrico (0,006–0,034 M) sobre los rendimientos de D-xilosa fue determinada mediante metodología de superficie de respuesta. Según el análisis estadístico ambos parámetros tuvieron un efecto interactivo significativo en la producción de D-xilosa. Los resultados mostraron que se requiere mayor concentración de ácido a mayor carga de sólidos. La disminución de la relación sólido/líquido en el reactor tuvo un efecto positivo en la extracción de D-xilosa y en la cantidad de ácido utilizado. Las condiciones óptimas fueron 50 g de sólidos (relación sólido/ líquido 1/6) y concentración de ácido sulfúrico 0,016 M. Bajo estas condiciones, el rendimiento de D-xilosa predicho, expresado en g de azúcar por cada 100 g de huesos de aceituna, fue 20,4 (87,2% del máximo teórico)

Stem Cells for Modeling Human Disease

Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in the form of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are capable of growing indefinitely in vitro, maintaining their capacity to differentiate into the three primary germ layers: mesoderm, endoderm and ectoderm. Different protocols have been developed to differentiate PSCs into almost any cellular type with different degree of success. This technology has allowed scientists to use patient‐derived iPSCs to study the physiopathology of the disease by analyzing the phenotype of the cells derived from these iPSCs. However, control iPSCs obtained from healthy individuals will always have different genomic environment than patient\u27s iPSCs, making it difficult the interpretation of the cells phenotype. The recent appearance of specific nucleases [zinc‐finger nucleases (ZFNs), the transcription activator‐like effector nucleases (TALENs) and the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)] has made it possible to edit the genome of PSCs. We can now generate syngeneic hESCs or iPSCs harboring the desired mutation and comparing the emerging cells with those derived from genetically identical PSCs that will differ only in the mutated gene. In this chapter, we summarize the progress made in this field and discuss the different approaches that have been used recently for the generation of syngeneic human pluripotent cellular models for different pathologies

Form invariance symmetry generates a large set of FRW cosmologies

We show that Einstein's field equations for spatially flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) space times have a form invariance symmetry (FIS) realized by the form invariance transformations (FIT) which are indeed generated by an invertible function of the source energy density. These transformations act on the Hubble expansion rate, the energy density, and pressure of the cosmic fluid; likewise such transformations are endowed with a Lie group structure. Each representation of this group is associated with a particular fluid and consequently a determined cosmology, so that, the FIS defines a set of equivalent cosmological models. We focus our seek in the FIT generated by a linear function because it provides a natural framework to express the duality and also produces a large sets of cosmologies, starting from a seed one, in several contexts as for instance in the cases of a perfect fluid source and a scalar field driven by a potential depending linearly on the scalar field kinetic energy density.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Modern Physics Letters A (2012

Effects of Topography and Surface Soil Cover on Erosion for Mining Reclamation: The Experimental Spoil Heap at El Machorro Mine (Central Spain)

Mining reclamation tries to reduce environmental impacts, including accelerated runoff, erosion and sediment load in the nearby fluvial networks and their ecosystems. This study compares the effects of topography and surface soil cover on erosion on man-made slopes coming from surface mining reclamation in Central Spain. Two topographic profiles, linear and concave, with two surface soil covers, subsoil and topsoil, were monitored for two hydrologic years. Sediment load, rill development and plant colonization from the four profiles were measured under field conditions. The results show that, in the case of this experiment, a thick and non-compacted topsoil cover on a linear slope yielded less sediment than carbonate colluvium or topsoil cover on a concave slope. This study also shows that vegetation establishment, which plays an important role in erosion control, depends on topography. Plant cover was more widespread and more homogeneous on linear profiles with topsoil cover. On concave slopes, plant establishment was severely limited on the steepest upper part and favoured in the bottom. This study suggests that management of topography and surface soil cover should be approached systematically, taking three outcomes into consideration: (i) topsoil can lead to a successful mining reclamation regardless of topography, (ii) created concave slopes can lead to a successful mining reclamation and (iii) topography determines the vegetation colonization pattern.The experiment was funded by a research contract between the Spanish mining company 602 CAOBAR S.A. and the Department of Geodynamics of the Complutense University of Madrid 603 (research contract numbers 234/2007, 290/2008 261/2009). The data analyses and manuscript 604 production were developed within two Research Projects, CGL2009-14508-C02-01 and 605 CGL2010-21754-C02, of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology and by the 606 Ecological Restoration network REMEDINAL-2 (S2009/AMB-1783).Peer reviewe

Discriminación experimental de los rasgos técnicos en la talla bipolar y a mano alzada en lascas a través los cuarzos de Naibor Soit (Garganta de Olduvai, Tanzania)

La identificación de la talla bipolar puede ser controvertida debido fundamentalmente a la naturaleza petrográfica del cuarzo y a su fracturación heterogénea. Este trabajo pretende superar este problema mediante el desarrollo de un marco explicativo experimental destinado al reconocimiento de los rasgos diagnósticos en las lascas producidas por ambos métodos de talla en la reducción del cuarzo de Naibor Soit (Garganta de Olduvai, Tanzania). El objetivo final de este trabajo es el de utilizar un conjunto de variables relacionadas con la respuesta de esta materia prima a la fractura a mano alzada y bipolar en dos experimentos destinados a individualizar estadísticamente los rasgos técnicos diagnósticos que mejor identifican a la talla bipolar en este tipo de materia prima

Influencia de factores productivos de cabras de raza Florida, en los resultados de fertilidad a inseminación artificial

Este estudio se ha realizado utilizando los datos recogidos por los técnicos de ACRIFLOR y del Centro IFAPA de Hinojosa del Duque durante las anualidades 2005, 2006, 2007 y 2008. Dichos datos informan acerca de la inseminación de 1.739 cabras de la raza Florida. El trabajo se ha realizado con semen fresco refrigerado, estudiando los siguientes factores: Número de parto de la cabra en el momento inseminación, Nivel de producción (kg de leche en el control lechero más cercano) y días de lactación desde la fecha del último parto. La obtención y procesamiento del semen se realiza por técnicos del Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesca, Alimentación y de la Producción Ecológica IFAPA en el centro de Recogida de Esperma Caprino ubicado en Hinojosa del Duque (Córdoba), y donde ACRIFLOR, mediante Convenio suscrito con el IFAPA, mantiene su Centro de Testaje de Machos. Las hembras inseminadas deben cumplir los requisitos de: una ecografía previa para descartar las pseudogestaciones, que no hayan abortado o presenten problemas reproductivos, que no sean nulíparas y, además, todas las cabras deben estar identificadas individualmente y en control lechero oficial. Los resultados de fertilidad con inseminación artificial en la raza Florida no han sido tan altos como los resultados obtenidos en otras razas caprinas, los cuales rondan un 60% de fertilidad en semen fresco y un 50% de fertilidad en semen congelado, es por ello que se han analizado los posibles factores que pueden estar provocando estos resultados menos favorables

Enhanced Production of Runaway Electrons during a Disruptive Termination of Discharges Heated with Lower Hybrid Power in the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade

4 pages, 4 figures.-- PACS nrs.: 52.55.Fa, 52.35.Py, 52.50.Sw, 52.55.Pi.We report on the observation of a large production of runaway electrons during a disruptive termination of discharges heated with lower-hybrid waves at the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade. The runaway current plateaus, which can carry up to 80% of the predisruptive current, are observed more often than in normal Ohmic disruptions. The largest runaway currents correspond to the slowest plasma current decay rates. This trend is opposite to what is observed in most tokamaks. We attribute this anomalous behavior to the acceleration of the preexistent wave-resonant suprathermal electrons during the disruption decay phase. These results could be relevant for the operation of the ITER tokamak whenever a sizeable amount of lower-hybrid power is made available.Research supported in part by Spanish DGES Project No. FTN2003-04587. This work was also supported by the Euratom Communities under the contract of association between EURATOM and ENEA.Publicad

Integral field spectroscopy of type-II QSOs at z=0.3-0.4

We present and analyse integral-field observations of six type-II QSOs with z=0.3-0.4, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Two of our sample are found to be surrounded by a nebula of warm ionized gas, with the largest nebula extending across 8" (40 kpc). Some regions of the extended nebulae show kinematics that are consistent with gravitational motion, while other regions show relatively perturbed kinematics: velocity shifts and line widths too large to be readily explained by gravitational motion. We propose that a ~20 kpc x20 kpc outflow is present in one of the galaxies. Possible mechanisms for triggering the outflow are discussed. In this object, we also find evidence for ionization both by shocks and the radiation field of the AGN.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted by MNRAS Letter