Diagnosis for ecological intensification of maize-based smallholder farming systems in the Costa Chica, Mexico

Enhanced utilization of ecological processes for food and feed production as part of the notion of ecological intensification starts from location-specific knowledge of production constraints. A diagnostic systems approach which combined social-economic and production ecological methods at farm and field level was developed and applied to diagnose extent and causes of the perceived low productivity of maize-based smallholder systems in two communities of the Costa Chica in South West Mexico. Social-economic and production ecological surveys were applied and complemented with model-based calculations. The results demonstrated that current nutrient management of crops has promoted nutrition imbalances, resulting in K- and, less surprisingly N-limited production conditions, reflected in low yields of the major crops maize and roselle and low resource use efficiencies. Production on moderate to steep slopes was estimated to result in considerable losses of soil and organic matter. Poor crop production, lack of specific animal fodder production systems and strong dependence on animal grazing within communal areas limited recycling of nutrients through manure. In combination with low prices for the roselle cash crop, farmers are caught in a vicious cycle of cash shortage and resource decline. The production ecological findings complemented farmers opinions by providing more insight in background and extent of livelihood constraints. Changing fertilizer subsidies and rethinking animal fodder production as well as use of communal lands requires targeting both formal and informal governance structures. The methodology has broader applicability in smallholder systems in view of its low demand on capital intensive resource

Reconstrucción de neoglande con colgajo uretral para el tratamiento quirúrgico de calcifilaxis peniana

ResumenIntroducciónLa arteriolopatía urémica calcificante, también conocida como calcifilaxis, es una entidad caracterizada por la presencia de áreas de necrosis isquémica junto con extensas calcificaciones de la capa media de las arteriolas de la piel; la etiopatogenia es compleja, las formas de presentación y evolución son diversas. La calcifilaxis del pene es una entidad muy rara. El dolor y la ulceración del glande es una de sus manifestaciones clínicas iniciales, el diagnóstico en estas etapas es difícil de establecer y el manejo debe ser integral. El tratamiento médico seguido del manejo quirúrgico se establecerá de acuerdo a la etapa y evolución de la enfermedad.La reconstrucción aislada del glande se recomienda tras una amputación traumática o quirúrgica por alguna enfermedad benigna o maligna. El objetivo es conseguir una apariencia estética razonable, permitir una micción fisiológica y tratar de conservar la mayor cantidad de tejido eréctil. En pacientes con calcifilaxis peniana, el manejo quirúrgico convencional es radical y consiste en falectomía parcial o total según sea el caso. El manejo conservador ha sido reportado mediante la desbridación de las lesiones ulcerosas en pene, tratamiento local y vigilancia.Caso clínicoSe presenta el caso de un paciente masculino de 59 años de edad con insuficiencia renal crónica en tratamiento con hemodiálisis, hospitalizado por cuadro de 5 días de evolución con úlcera dolorosa en glande, refractaria a manejo analgésico. Se realizó biopsia escisional de la lesión con estudio histopatológico confirmando calcifilaxis. Se plantea a paciente falectomía parcial la cual rechaza por lo que se ofrece reconstrucción en un tiempo como opción terapéutica.ConclusiónUtilizar injertos o colgajos de piel para realizar la reconstrucción del pene en pacientes con calcifilaxis no representa una opción viable. Por su gran aporte vascular, la uretra representa una buena opción de reconstrucción en pacientes con calcifilaxis en etapa inicial. La selección y evaluación de los pacientes debe ser muy cautelosa para que los resultados estéticos y funcionales sean aceptables.AbstractIntroductionCalcific uremic arteriolopathy, also known as calciphylaxis, is an entity characterized by areas of ischemic necrosis with extensive calcifications of the middle layer of the skin arterioles. Its etiopathogenesis is complex and its forms of presentation and progression are diverse. Calciphylaxis of the penis is an extremely rare entity. Pain and ulceration of the glans penis are initial clinical manifestations and diagnosis at these stages is difficult. Management should be comprehensive. Medical treatment, followed by surgical management, is established according to disease stage and progression.Isolated reconstruction of the glans penis is recommended when there is traumatic amputation or a surgical one due to benign or malignant disease. The goal is to obtain a reasonably esthetic appearance, to have physiologic micturition, and to spare the greatest amount of erectile tissue possible. Conventional surgical management in patients with penile calciphylaxis is radical and consists of partial or total phallectomy, depending on the case. Conservative management through ulcerous penile lesion debridement, local treatment, and surveillance has been reported.Case reportA 59-year-old man with chronic renal insufficiency in hemodialysis treatment was hospitalized for symptoms of 5-day progression of a painful ulcer on the glans penis that was refractory to analgesics. An excisional biopsy of the lesion was taken and the histopathologic study confirmed calciphylaxis. Partial phallectomy was suggested to the patient, but he rejected it, and so single stage reconstruction was offered as a therapeutic option.ConclusionThe use of skin grafts or flaps for penile reconstruction in patients with calciphylaxis is not a viable option. Because of its large blood supply, the urethra is a good reconstruction option in patients with initial-stage calciphylaxis. Patient selection and evaluation must be carried out with great care in order to have acceptable functional and esthetic results

Influence of pork liver drying on ferrochelatase activity for zinc protoporphyrin formation

Pork liver contains an endogenous enzyme, ferrochelatase (FeCH), which catalyses the formation of zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), a natural pigment of great interest for the meat industry. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of pork liver drying (from −10 to 70 °C), as a stabilisation method, on the FeCH activity (EA) and the apparent concentration (ECapp). Drying temperatures close to room conditions (from 10 to 20 °C) allowed to preserve well the ECapp, while the EA was slightly lower (−15.2%) than in raw liver. However, when drying was conducted at extreme conditions (−10 and 70 °C), the lowest values of ECapp and EA were manifested. Therefore, the drying process at moderate temperatures close to room conditions (10 - 20 °C) was considered to be an effective method for FeCH preservation since it was possible to stabilise the liver and the loss of FeCH activity was minimised.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ultrasound intensification of Ferrochelatase extraction from pork liver as a strategy to improve ZINC-protoporphyrin formation

[EN] The enzyme Ferrochelatase (FeCH), which is naturally present in pork liver, catalyses the formation of Zincprotoporphyrin (ZnPP), a natural pigment responsible for the typical color of dry-cured Italian Parma ham. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using high power ultrasound in continuous and pulsed modes to intensify the extraction of the enzyme FeCH from pork liver. US application during FeCH extraction led to an improved enzymatic activity and further increase in the formation of ZnPP. The optimal condition tested was that of 1 min in continuous US application, in which time the enzymatic activity increased by 33.3 % compared to conventional extraction (30 min). Pulsed US application required 5 min treatments to observe a significant intensification effect. Therefore, ultrasound is a potentially feasible technique as it increases the catalytic activity of FeCH and saves time compared to the conventional extraction methodThe authors acknowledge the financial support from the "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) and Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA)" in Spain (Project RTA2017-00024-C04-03). The authors acknowledge the contribution of the undergraduate student Jose V. Pedrero-Gonzalez to the experimental work.Abril-Gisbert, B.; Sanchez-Torres, E.; Bou, R.; Garcia-Perez, J.; Benedito Fort, JJ. (2021). Ultrasound intensification of Ferrochelatase extraction from pork liver as a strategy to improve ZINC-protoporphyrin formation. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry. 78:1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2021.105703S177

Water desorption isotherms of pork liver and thermodynamic properties

[EN] For the first time, the relationship between equilibrium moisture content and water activity is reported for the desorption process in pork liver. For that purpose, a standardized conductivity hygrometer was used at four different temperatures (0, 10, 30 and 50 degrees C) over a wide range of water activity (0.999-0.103). Five models frequently found in the literature (GAB, Oswin, Henderson, Hasley and Ratti) were considered for the purposes of describing the experimental desorption. The GAB model emerged as the best option (explained variance 96.6%) for the physical and mathematical description of the water desorption isotherms in pork liver. The computed isosteric heat, entropy and Gibbs energy illustrated the high water-sorbent affinity, because of a considerable availability of strong sorption sites at low moisture contents. The reported experimental desorption isotherms, and modeling results, are essentials for the optimal design of the drying process of pork liver, which is a necessary step for the further research addressing the extraction of the protein fraction from the dried product. Extraction and isolation of the protein fraction from pork liver could be considered a reasonable strategy considering the demand of protein materials and the high-environmental impact of the meat industry.The authors acknowledge the financial support from the "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO)" and "Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA)" in Spain (Project RTA 2017-00024-C04-03). Eduardo A. Sanchez-Torres acknowledges the FPU PhD contract (FPU18/01439) granted by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.Sanchez-Torres, E.; Abril-Gisbert, B.; Benedito Fort, JJ.; Bon Corbín, J.; Garcia-Perez, J. (2021). Water desorption isotherms of pork liver and thermodynamic properties. LWT - Food Science and Technology. 149:1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2021.11185711014

Current clinical practice in disabling and chronic migraine in the primary care setting: results from the European My-LIFE anamnesis survey.

Migraine is a prevalent and disabling headache disorder that affects more than 1.04 billion individuals world-wide. It can result in reduction in quality of life, increased disability, and high socio-economic burden. Nevertheless, and despite the availability of evidence-based national and international guidelines, the management of migraine patients often remains suboptimal, especially for chronic migraine (CM) patients. My-LIFE anamnesis project surveyed 201 General practitioners (GPs) from 5 European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK) with the aim of understanding chronic migraine (CM) patients' management in the primary care setting. In our survey, GPs diagnosed episodic migraine (EM) more often than CM (87% vs 61%, p < 0.001). We found that many CM patients were not properly managed or referred to specialists, in contrast to guidelines recommendations. The main tools used by primary-care physicians included clinical interview, anamnesis guide, and patient diary. Tools used at the first visit differed from those used at follow-up visits. Up to 82% of GPs reported being responsible for management of patients diagnosed with disabling or CM and did not refer them to a specialist. Even when the GP had reported referring CM patients to a specialist, 97% of them were responsible for their follow-up. Moreover, the treatment prescribed, both acute and preventive, was not in accordance with local and international recommendations. GPs reported that they evaluated the efficacy of the treatment prescribed mainly through patient perception, and the frequency of follow-up visits was not clearly established in the primary care setting. These results suggest that CM is underdiagnosed and undertreated; thereby its management is suboptimal in the primary care. There is a need of guidance in the primary care setting to both leverage the management of CM patients and earlier referral to specialists, when appropriate

Synchronization of Hamiltonian motion and dissipative effects in optical lattices: Evidence for a stochastic resonance

We theoretically study the influence of the noise strength on the excitation of the Brillouin propagation modes in a dissipative optical lattice. We show that the excitation has a resonant behavior for a specific amount of noise corresponding to the precise synchronization of the Hamiltonian motion on the optical potential surfaces and the dissipative effects associated with optical pumping in the lattice. This corresponds to the phenomenon of stochastic resonance. Our results are obtained by numerical simulations and correspond to the analysis of microscopic quantities (atomic spatial distributions) as well as macroscopic quantities (enhancement of spatial diffusion and pump-probe spectra). We also present a simple analytical model in excellent agreement with the simulations

Optical Control Of The Two-dimensional Electron-gas Density In Modulation-doped Quantum Wells Studied By Magnetophotoluminescence

We show by magnetoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy that the density of the two-dimensional electron gas in a GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs asymmetric modulation-doped multiple quantum-well structure is changed when the sample is excited with photons having an energy lower than the alloy band gap. © 1993 The American Physical Society.4831967196

EXTRA SPINDLE POLES (Separase) controls anisotropic cell expansion in Norway spruce (Picea abies) embryos independently of its role in anaphase progression

The caspase-related protease separase (EXTRA SPINDLE POLES, ESP) plays a major role in chromatid disjunction and cell expansion in Arabidopsis thaliana. Whether the expansion phenotypes are linked to defects in cell division in Arabidopsis ESP mutants remains elusive. Here we present the identification, cloning and characterization of the gymnosperm Norway spruce (Picea abies, Pa) ESP. We used the P. abies somatic embryo system and a combination of reverse genetics and microscopy to explore the roles of Pa ESP during embryogenesis. Pa ESP was expressed in the proliferating embryonal mass, while it was absent in the suspensor cells. Pa ESP associated with kinetochore microtubules in metaphase and then with anaphase spindle midzone. During cytokinesis, it localized on the phragmoplast microtubules and on the cell plate. Pa ESP deficiency perturbed anisotropic expansion and reduced mitotic divisions in cotyledonary embryos. Furthermore, whilst Pa ESP can rescue the chromatid nondisjunction phenotype of Arabidopsis ESP mutants, it cannot rescue anisotropic cell expansion. Our data demonstrate that the roles of ESP in daughter chromatid separation and cell expansion are conserved between gymnosperms and angiosperms. However, the mechanisms of ESP-mediated regulation of cell expansion seem to be lineage-specific

Constraining the MSSM with universal gaugino masses and implication for searches at the LHC

Using a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach, we find the allowed parameter space of a MSSM model with seven free parameters. In this model universality conditions at the GUT scale are imposed on the gaugino sector. We require in particular that the relic density of dark matter saturates the value extracted from cosmological measurements assuming a standard cosmological scenario. We characterize the parameter space of the model that satisfies experimental constraints and illustrate the complementarity of the LHC searches, B-physics observables and direct dark matter searches for further probing the parameter space of the model. We also explore the different decay chains expected for the coloured particles that would be produced at LHC.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figure