Possibilities for exploitation of invasive species, Arundo donax L., as a source of phenol compounds

Recycling and reuse are a fundamental pillar for reducing global pollution. In this context, the use of waste generated by invasive species control actions, as a natural raw material for the exploitation of their bioactive compounds, provides a great interest for a more sustainable industry. In this study, phenolic compounds were determined from the different parts that compose the invasive species Arundo donax L. The experiments were carried out using response surface methodology (RSM) by the Box-Behnken method, allowing us to evaluate the factors (temperature, time and type of solvent) and the values that optimized the extraction. The highest concentration of total phenolic compounds equivalent in gallic acid (GAE) was obtained from extracts with distilled water, with the fraction of leaves (7.43 mg GAE /g) in first place, followed by inflorescences (5.15 mg GAE /g) and finally stems (2.73 mg GAE /g).These optimum values were obtained using conditions of 6 h and 45 °C for leaves and stems and 4 h and 35 °C for inflorescences.. Identification and quantification of phenolic acids and flavonoids were carried out by HPLC–MS/MS analytical technique. In general, stem extracts were the most abundant in phenolic acids with potential pharmacological properties. These studies provided promising results for the Arundo donax L. species as a source of polyphenols, making full use of its residue and aiming to boost the circular economy in important industry sectors.Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISU

Thalassiosira pseudonana and Skeletonema costatum biomass optimization: cultivation, harvesting, extraction of oils and biodiesel and pelletization of the residue

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGMicroalgae are one of the most promising feedstocks for biofuel production that can solve the energy crisis, climate change, and the depletion of fossil fuels. Biorefineries have production capacity bottlenecks that prevent them from being economically profitable, without leaving aside the environmental safety of by-products. This research aims to analyze critical stages such as harvesting or lipid extraction from two microalgae species currently unknown, such as Thalassiosira pseudonana and Skeletonema costatum. Inorganic flocculation with a low concentration of iron or aluminum salts (FeCl3 and Al2(SO4)3) was achieved to recover >60% biomass in just 20 min in both cases. Lipids extractions through chloroform: methanol (solvent ratio 2:1) obtained low performance due to the ionic strength medium. The fatty acid composition of the algae extracts showed that stearic acid (C18:0) and palmitoleic acid (C16:1) were predominant in both species. In addition, residues from the lipid extraction process were used for the manufacture of pellets. The data collected showed that these solid biofuels should be combined with other biomass typologies if the end-use are biomass boilers. The development of these studies provides new information on different microalgae species and their potential to use their biomass through an integrated utilization

Microalgal biomass quantification from the non-invasive technique of image processing through red-green-blue (RGB) analysis

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGContinuous monitoring of biomass concentration in microalgae cultures is essential and one of the most important parameters to measure in this field. This study aims at digital image processing in RGB and greyscale models, being a simple and low-cost method for cell estimation. Images obtained from different photobioreactors with wastewater and at different conditions for the cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris were analyzed. The results suggested that this technique is very effective under controlled lighting conditions, in contrast to photobioreactors placed outdoors and of different design, presenting a lower linearity. The accuracy of the method could be improved with a high-quality charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. The development of efficient methods to assess biomass concentration is an important and necessary step towards large-scale microalgae cultivation. The colour analysis technique has a great potential to meet the needs of monitoring cultures in a cost-effective and automated way using simple and cheap instruments

Ultrastrong exciton−photon coupling in broadband solar absorbers

The recent development of organic polaritonic solar cells, in which sunlight absorbers and photon modes of a resonator are hybridized as a result of their strong coupling, has revealed the potential this interaction offers to control and enhance the performance of these devices. In this approach, the photovoltaic cell is built in such a way that it also behaves as an optical cavity supporting spectrally well-defined resonances, which match the broad absorption bands of the dyes employed. Herein we focus on the experimental and theoretical analysis of the specific spectral and angular optical absorption characteristics of a broadband light harvester, namely a subphthalocyanine, when operating in the ultrastrong coupling regime. We discuss the implications of having a broad distribution of oscillator strengths and demonstrate that rational design of the layered structure is needed to optimize both the spectral and the angular response of the sunlight harvester dyeFunding for this work was provided by the Spanish “Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU)” through AEI/FEDER(UE) projects PID2020-116593RB-I00 and PID2020-116490GBI00 as well as through projects EXPLORA FIS2017-91018-EXP, PCI2018-093145 (QuantERA program, EC), CEX2018-000805-M (María de Maeztu Programme for Units of Excellence in R&D), SEV2016-0686 (Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D), and MODEFotovoltaica (Materiales Orgánicos Disruptivos para Energía Fotovoltaica) (RED2018-102815-T). V.E. thanks La Caixa Foundation (ID 100010434) for funding of her PhD (fellowship LCF/BQ/ES15/10360025). L.C. thanks Junta de Andalucía and the European Regional Development Funds program (EU-FEDER) for financial support (DOC_00220). This work was partially funded also by the European Research Council through Grant ERC-2016-StG-71487

Functional characterisation and antimicrobial efficiency assessment of smart nanohydrogels containing natamycin incorporated into polysaccharide-based films

The potential application of polysaccharide-based films containing smart nanohydrogels for the controlled release of food preservatives is demonstrated here. Smart active packaging is the most promising alternative to traditional packaging as it provides a controlled antimicrobial effect, which allows reducing the amount of preservatives in the food bulk, releasing them only on demand. This work evaluates the usefulness of smart thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) nanohydrogels with or without acrylic acid (AA) incorporated into polysaccharide-based films (GA) to transport natamycin and release it as a response to environmental triggers. Release kinetics in liquid medium from GA films containing PNIPA/AA nanohydrogels (GA-PNIPA(5) and GA-PNIPA-20AA(5)) presented a characteristic feature regarding the films without nanohydrogels that was the appearance of a lag time in natamycin release, able to reach values of around 35 h. Another important feature of natamycin release kinetics was the fact that the release from GA-PNIPA/AA films only occurred when temperature was increased, so that the natamycin release was restricted to when there is a risk of growth of microorganisms that cause food spoilage or the development of pathogenic microorganisms. Additionally, it could be observed that the relative fraction of natamycin released from GA-PNIPA/AA films was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that released from GA films loaded with the same amount of free natamycin. It can be hypothesised that the encapsulation of natamycin into nanohydrogels helped it to be released from GA films, creating reservoirs of natamycin into the films and, therefore, facilitating its diffusion through the film matrix when the nanohydrogel collapses. In a solid medium, the low water availability limited natamycin release from GA-PNIPA/AA films restricting the on/off release mechanism of PNIPA/AA nanohydrogels and favouring the hydrophobic interactions between natamycin and polymer chains at high temperatures. Despite the low natamycin release in solid media, antimicrobial efficiency of GA-PNIPA(5) films containing natamycin in acidified agar plates was higher than that obtained with GA films without natamycin and GA films with free natamycin, probably due to the protecting effect against degradation when natamycin was included in the nanohydrogels, allowing its release only when the temperature increased.Clara Fucinos and Miguel A. Cerqueira are recipients of a fellowship (SFRH/BPD/87910/2012 and SFRH/BPD/72753/2010, respectively) from the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT, POPH-QREN, and FSE Portugal). The authors thank the FCT Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 and the project "BioInd - Biotechnology and Bioengineering for improved Industrial and Agro-Food processes", Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000028 co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER and the project from the "Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia" (Spain) "Nanohidrogeles inteligentes sensibles a cambios de pH y Temperatura: Diseno, sintesis y aplicacion en terapia del cancer y el envasado activo de alimentos", Ref. MAT2010-21509-C03-01

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Value-added products by solvent extraction and steam distillation from Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.)

Medicinal plants are very important in sustainable economic development, in the pharmaceutical industry and in promoting the conservation of biodiversity. The main objective of this work was to obtain extracts and hydrolytes of flowers, leaves and bark of Sambucus nigra, and analyse their possible uses. Two sampling areas in a field were chosen, and collection was carried out at different times, according to the selected parts of the plant. Two techniques were chosen, steam distillation and ethanol and glycerol extraction. The hydrolytes of the different parts of Sambucus nigra can be used in therapeutic applications due to their pH. Distillations of the stems and leaves gave no indication of essential oil, at least with the quantities used. Therefore, the highest percentage of essential oil was found in the flowers. Ethanol was a better extraction solvent than glycerine, with yields of 99% and 90%, respectively. Flower extracts prepared with ethanol showed a total phenolic content of 59.3 ± 2 mg gallic acid equivalent/g and a total flavonoid content of 16.2 ± 0.2 mg quercetin equivalent/g. This research could contribute to the valorisation of this species giving a boost to its reuse from a circular economy perspective

Temperature- and pH-sensitive nanohydrogels of Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) for food packaging applications: modelling the swelling-collapse behaviour

15 páginas, 5 tablas, 8 figuras.-- This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Temperature-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) nanohydrogels were synthesized by nanoemulsion polymerization in water-in-oil systems. Several cross-linking degrees and the incorporation of acrylic acid as comonomer at different concentrations were tested to produce nanohydrogels with a wide range of properties. The physicochemical properties of PNIPA nanohydrogels, and their relationship with the swelling-collapse behaviour, were studied to evaluate the suitability of PNIPA nanoparticles as smart delivery systems (for active packaging). The swelling-collapse transition was analyzed by the change in the optical properties of PNIPA nanohydrogels using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The thermodynamic parameters associated with the nanohydrogels collapse were calculated using a mathematical approach based on the van't Hoff analysis, assuming a two-state equilibrium (swollen to collapsed). A mathematical model is proposed to predict both the thermally induced collapse, and the collapse induced by the simultaneous action of two factors (temperature and pH, or temperature and organic solvent concentration). Finally, van't Hoff analysis was compared with differential scanning calorimetry. The results obtained allow us to solve the problem of determining the molecular weight of the structural repeating unit in cross-linked NIPA polymers, which, as we show, can be estimated from the ratio of the molar heat capacity (obtained from the van't Hoff analysis) to the specific heat capacity (obtained from calorimetric measurements).This work was funded by grant (MAT 2006-11662-CO3-CO2-C01/MAT 2010-21509-C03-01/EUI 2008-00115) from the “Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia” (Spain). Clara Fuciños was funded by a predoctoral scholarship from University of Vigo (Spain)Peer reviewe

Cuentos para fortalecer la autoestima y los derechos de los niños y niñas

Ilustraciones: Elena QueralEn el seno de la familia es donde se define la autoestima de los hijos, donde aprenden a aceptarse y a quererse a sí mismos y a reconocer si su opinión es o no valorada. También está ampliamente constatado que las actitudes y comportamientos que los niños aprenden en la familia los extrapolan a los demás contextos sociales como la escuela y la pandilla, y tienden a extenderse a todas las etapas de sus vidas. Por ello, es fundamental que para lograr que los niños desarrollen la capacidad de dar su opinión asertivamente y de sentir que sus opiniones son tenidas en cuenta, la familia que le educa acoja un estilo educativo democrático y participativo que propicie que todos sus miembros tengan derechos y deberes y participen en las tomas de decisiones familiares. A través de los personajes de tres cuentos que se enfrentan a situaciones donde su autoestima o sus capacidades para defender sus ideas o negociar con otros están en juego, se ofrece a las familias una herramienta divertida y mágica para hablar y reflexionar sobre estos temas con sus hijos dentro de un marco lúdico y relajado.https://www.ceapa.es/sites/default/files/Documentos/Cuento%20autoestima.pdfES

Cuentos para educar sobre ocio y tiempo libre : dirigido aniños y niñas de entre 6 y 12 años

Ilustraciones: Rubén Jiménez “El Rubencio”Generalmente no se tiene consciencia de la relación que existe entre vivir la vida con satisfacción y el saber ocupar el tiempo libre con actividades que llenen y hagan disfrutar. También existe escasa reflexión sobre la relación entre tener un tiempo libre de calidad y el aprendizaje que supone gestionar y utilizar el tiempo libre adecuadamente. Este aprendizaje se produce en familia en los primeros años. En los tres cuentos "Dónde está mi voz", "El escaparate" y "El campo no huele tan mal", diversos personajes infantiles viven situaciones en torno a temas clave sobre la educación para el ocio y el tiempo libre y aportan a los padres un instrumento sencillo y natural que les ayudará a charlar con sus hijos sobre todos estos temas. Temas fundamentales como la relación entre ocio y diversión o entretenimiento que promociona el mercado, el sentido vital que aporta un ocio de calidad, la necesidad de aportar alternativas a los hijos para que puedan elegir qué ocio desean llevar a cabo.ES