UNA NUEVA ESPECIE DE STROMANTHE (MARANTACEAE) DE VERACRUZ, MÉXICO.

Stromanthe popolucana is described as a newspecies of Marantaceae from southernVeracruz, Mexico. It appears to be related toStromanthe jacquinii (Roem. & Schult.)Kennedy & Nicolson and Stromantheramosissima L., from both of which it differsin its smaller petioles, leaves, and fruits, andits much longer peduncles and cymes. It is aspecies of evergreen tropical rain forest, witha restricted distribution on the volcano of SanMartín Pajapan. This species is consideredendangered due to the changes in land use inthe Los Tuxtlas region.Se describe como especie nueva a Stromanthepopolucana (Marantaceae) del sur del estadode Veracruz. Se encuentra relacionada conStromanthe jacquinii (Roem. & Schult.)Kennedy & Nicolson y Stromantheramosissima L. de las cuales difiere porpresentar pecíolos, hojas y frutos máspequeños y el pedúnculo de la címula máslargo. Es una especie de selva altaperennifolia, que presenta una distribuciónrestringida al Volcán de San Martín Pajapan,Veracruz. Esta especie se encuentraamenazada de extinción por el cambio de usodel suelo que se está dando en la región deLos Tuxtlas

LOS HELECHOS Y PLANTAS AFINES DEL BOSQUE MESÓFILO DE MONTAÑA DE BANDERILLA, VERACRUZ, MÉXICO

Our inventory of ferns and similar plantspresent in Banderilla, Veracruz, Mexico,focused on cloud forest relicts. We report130 species belonging to 24 families and 49genera of such plants in Banderilla,representing about 21% of the pteridophyteflora of the state. This species richness isremarkable considering the small size of themunicipality (22.21km2 or 0.03% of the areaof the state).Se realizó el inventario de los helechos ylas plantas afines presentes en Banderilla,Veracruz, México, especialmente en losrelictos de bosque mesófilo de montaña.Se registran 130 especies pertenecientes a24 familias y 49 géneros, que representancerca del 21% de los Pteridófitos delestado. Esta riqueza es destacable considerando que el municipio tiene unasuperficie de 22.21 km2 (0.03% del total dela superficie estatal)

Cyanobacterial mats from the Carrizal, a geothermal spring pool in Mexico

Cyanobacterial microflora is very diverse in different habitats over the world and closely connected with the ecology of the habitat. In particular, extreme habitats are colonised by numerous specialised morpho- and ecotypes which are unique to these ecologically specialised environments. A variety of methods are needed to characterize cyanobacterial assemblages in thermal water environments. We report here on the community structure of the cyanobaterial mats at the hot spring of the alkaline ad low sulphide artificial pool of “Carrizal” (Villa Emiliano Zapata, Mexico). The most common organisms were Anabaena sp., Phormidium sp. and Pseudoanabaena sp. Some filamentous cyanobacteria showed a 98%-95% 16S rDNA gene similarity with Oscillatoria sp. and cluster together with other filamentous cyanobacteria from the thermal environments

Cyanobacterial mats from the Carrizal, a geothermal spring pool in Mexico

Cyanobacterial microflora is very diverse in different habitats over the world and closely connected with the ecology of the habitat. In particular, extreme habitats are colonised by numerous specialised morpho- and ecotypes which are unique to these ecologically specialised environments. A variety of methods are needed to characterize cyanobacterial assemblages in thermal water environments. We report here on the community structure of the cyanobaterial mats at the hot spring of the alkaline ad low sulphide artificial pool of “Carrizal” (Villa Emiliano Zapata, Mexico). The most common organisms were Anabaena sp., Phormidium sp. and Pseudoanabaena sp. Some filamentous cyanobacteria showed a 98%-95% 16S rDNA gene similarity with Oscillatoria sp. and cluster together with other filamentous cyanobacteria from the thermal environments

Long-Term Effects of a Cognitive Behavioral Conference Call Intervention on Depression in Non-Professional Caregivers

Recent evidence supports the efficacy of conference call cognitive–behavioral interventions in preventing depression in caregivers at post-intervention, but we do not know whether the results are sustained long term. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy of a cognitive–behavioral intervention administered by telephone conference call in preventing depression in caregivers with elevated depressive symptoms, comparing all components of the intervention versus only the behavioral ones. A randomized controlled trial was conducted using a dismantling strategy. At total of 219 caregivers were randomly assigned to a cognitive–behavioral conference call intervention (CBCC; n = 69), a behavioral-activation conference call intervention (BACC; n = 70), or a usual care control group (CG, n = 80). Information was collected on depressive symptoms and depression at pre-intervention and at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 36 months post-intervention. At 36 months, there was a reduction in depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) and a lower incidence of major depressive episodes in both the CBCC and BACC groups compared to CG (8.7%, 8.6%, and 33.7%, respectively). The results show that a conference call intervention was effective in the long term to prevent depression in caregivers and that the behavioral-activation component was comparable to the complete cognitive–behavioral protocolThis research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under grant number 2012-PN162S

Analysis of the Components of a Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for the prevention of Depression Administered via Conference Call to Nonprofessional Caregivers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Effective and accessible interventions for indicated prevention of depression are necessary and lacking, especially for informal caregivers. Although telephone-based interventions could increase the accessibility for caregivers, randomized controlled trials are scarce, with no examination of prevention to date. Moreover, the efficacy of specific therapeutic components in preventive cognitive-behavioral programs is unknown. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a telephone-administered psychological preventive intervention in informal caregivers with high depressive symptoms. A total of 219 caregivers were randomized to a cognitive-behavioral conference call intervention (CBCC, n = 69), a behavioral-activation conference call intervention (BACC, n = 70), or a usual care control group (CG, n = 80). Both interventions consisted of five 90-minute group sessions. At the post-intervention, incidence of depression was lower in CBCC and BACC compared to CG (1.5% and 1.4% vs. 8.8%). Relative risk was 0.17 for the CBCC and 0.16 for the BACC, and the number-needed-to-treat was 14 in both groups. Depressive symptoms were significantly lower in BACC and BACC groups compared to CG (d = 1.16 and 1.29), with no significant differences between CBCC and BACC groups. The conference call intervention was effective in preventing depression and the behavioral-activation component (BACC) was comparable to the CBCC interventionThis research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under grant number 2012-PN162S

MicroRNAs Sequencing for Understanding the Genetic Regulation of Plant Genomes

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous non-coding RNAs that play important regulatory roles in animals and plants by targeting mRNAs for cleavage or translational repression. Small RNAs are classified into different types by their biogenesis and mode of action, such as miRNAs, siRNAs, piRNAs, and snoRNAs. In the case of miRNAs, this specific type regulates gene expression in plants and animals by targeting mRNAs for cleavage and translational repression, respectively. Diverse miRNAs regulate plant development, metabolism, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. The identification of miRNAs has been accomplished in diverse species, organs and developmental or diverse biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Novel massive sequencing techniques and further bioinformatics analysis have allowed the identification of hundreds of miRNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Malus domestica, Zea mays, Solanum lycopersicum, and other plants. Functional characterization of a given miRNA in a specific biological context has shown their role in the fine-tuning mechanisms of posttranscriptional gene regulation. In this chapter, besides making a summary of genome-wide miRNA profiling in plants, we describe how gain and loss of function approaches influence plant phenotypes that affect development, physiology or stress responses, pointing to miRNAs as effective tools for the generation of new plant phenotypes that improve plant productivity and conservation

Factorial and Economic Evaluation of an Aqueous Two-Phase Partitioning Pilot Plant for Invertase Recovery From Spent Brewery Yeast

Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) have been reported as an attractive biocompatible extraction system for recovery and purification of biological products. In this work, the implementation, characterization, and optimization (operational and economic) of invertase extraction from spent brewery yeast in a semi-automatized pilot plant using ATPS is reported. Gentian violet was used as tracer for the selection of phase composition through phase entrainment minimization. Yeast suspension was chosen as a complex cell matrix model for the recovery of the industrial relevant enzyme invertase. Flow rates of phases did not have an effect, given that a bottom continuous phase is given, while load of sample and number of agitators improved the recovery of the enzyme. The best combination of factors reached a recovery of 129.35 ± 2.76% and a purification factor of 4.98 ± 1.10 in the bottom phase of a PEG-Phosphate system, also resulting in the removal of inhibitor molecules increasing invertase activity as reported by several other authors. Then, an economic analysis was performed to study the production cost of invertase analyzing only the significant parameters for production. Results indicate that the parameters being analyzed only affect the production cost per enzymatic unit, while variations in the cost per batch are not significant. Moreover, only the sample load is significant, which, combined with operational optimization results, gives the same optimal result for operation, maximizing recovery yield (15% of sample load and 1 static mixer). Overall res ults of these case studies show continuous pilot-scale ATPS as a viable and reproducible extraction/purification system for high added-value biological compounds

Women representation in soil science: gender indicators in the University Program of Interdisciplinary Soil Studies

IntroductionIn the world, 33% of soils are degraded, and 2.9 million people are affected by land degradation, with problems associated with food security, conflicts over natural resources, and migration with different impacts on men or women. To support sustainable soil management, it is necessary to include women’s contributions to soil Sciences; their achievements and academic performance still need to be represented. Women in Science represent 30% worldwide. In Mexico, only 24% of top academic positions are women. For commitment to soil Sciences for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNAM created the University Program for Interdisciplinary Soil Studies (PUEIS).MethodsThis research evaluates women’s representation through gender indicators in the PUEIS and SNI datasets and discusses their implications for the gender gap in the soil Science community from Mexico. The data was collected with an online semi-structured survey and the gender indicators selected were related to participation, gender gap, sexism, equal opportunities, exclusion, and academic performance.ResultsThe results show that in the PUEIS, 54% of members identify themselves as women and 46% as men. The gender gap shows equality in the total number of members. However, low-rank jobs, such as lecturers and lab technicians are women dominated, and the top-ranked positions as a full professor, associate professor, and research scientist are equal. One result to consider for the PUEIS members is that the younger generation, as is the older generation, is dominated by men. This could indicate a setback in intermediate generations’ progress toward achieving gender equality. In the case of SNI members, there is a gender gap problem; of members with a Ph.D. degree, only 38% are women, and the elite group of scientists with a Ph.D. at the top position is represented only by 24% of females.DiscussionThis work constitutes the first gender exercise for analyzing women’s participation in the soil Sciences in Mexico. From our perspective, it is not about competition in scientific careers between women and men; however, it is essential to recognize that gender inequalities are related to income, professional development, and science funding inequalities, and these disparities impact women more than men

Chemical composition and in vitro degradations of pods and leaves of legumes trees of Mexican dry tropic

Las vainas y las hojas de leguminosas arbóreas se usan como suplemento alimenticio para disminuir las deficiencias de nitrógeno que presentan los pastos en el trópico seco. El objetivo fue caracterizar la composición química y las degradaciones in vitro de las vainas de Leucaena leucocephala, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Samanea saman, Acacia cochliacantha, Guazuma ulmifolia y las hojas de L. leucocephala y G. ulmifolia. Se determinó el contenido de materia seca, proteína cruda (PC), cenizas, fibra detergente neutro (FDN), fibra detergente ácido (FDA), ácidos grasos volátiles, concentración de bacterias totales, degradación de materia seca (DEGMS) y degradación de fibra detergente neutro (DEGFDN). El análisis estadístico fue un diseño completamente al azar. La vaina de E. cyclocarpum (19.50 %), la vaina (19.83 %) y la hoja (21.57 %) de L. leucocephala tuvieron los mayores contenidos de PC. La vaina de E. cyclocarpum presentó 28.38 % de FDN. La hoja de L. leucocephala (24.22 %) y las vainas de S. saman (25.06 %) y E. cyclocarpum (20.40 %) presentaron los menores contenidos de FDA (P<0.05). Las vainas de E. cyclocarpum (73.06 y 38.68 %) y S. saman (66.01 y 35.86 %) cuantificaron las mayores (P<0.05) DEGMS y DEGFDN. Por tanto, las vainas de E. cyclocarpum y S. saman son una alternativa viable para la alimentación de rumiantes en el trópico seco dadas sus características químicas y fermentativas.Pods and leaves of legumes trees are used as feed supplements, these are used to diminish the deficiency of nitrogen present in pastures in the dry tropic. The objective was to characterize the chemical composition and the in vitro degradations of pods of Leucaena leucocephala, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Samanea saman, Acacia cochliacantha, Guazuma ulmifolia and leaves of L. leucocephala and G. ulmifolia. Dry matter, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), dry matter degradation (DMDEG), neutral detergent fiber degradation (NDFDEG), volatile fatty acids, ashes and total concentration of bacteria, were determined. The experimental design was completely randomized. The pod of E. cyclocarpum (19.50 %), the pods (19.83 %) and leaves (21.57 %) of L. Leucocephala had the highest content of CP. The E. cyclocarpum pod presented 28.38 % of NDF. The leaf of L. leucocephala (24.22 %) and the pods of S. saman (25.06 %) and E. cyclocarpum (20.40 %) had the lowest contents of ADF (P<0.05). E. cyclocarpum (73.06 and 38.68 %) and S. saman (66.01 and 35.86 %) pods quantified the highest DMDEG and NDFDEG (P<0.05). Therefore, the pods of E. cyclocarpum and S. saman are a viable alternative for feeding ruminants in the dry tropic given their chemical and fermentative characteristics