•Mexican calcined and doped dolomites were used in the transesterification reaction of canola oil.•Na-CaO/MgO catalysts exhibited a 97.4% conversion of canola oil to biodiesel.•The optimization model ...showed that the reaction time is the most influential variable in FAME conversion.
Mexican dolomites were doped with sodium nitrate and calcined at 900 °C to generate the corresponding CaO/MgO and Na-CaO/MgO mixed metal oxides. The resulting oxides were tested with regard to the catalytic transesterification of commercial canola oil in a batch reactor for biodiesel production. The catalysts were characterized using several spectroscopic and physicochemical techniques. Among all catalysts, Na-CaO/MgO effected the highest conversion rate, at 95.4%. The experimental catalytic parameters were processed in a nonlinear program to obtain the optimal theoretical conversion rate of 97.46%, consistent with the experimental results.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
A strategy in the discovery of anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) drug involves targeting the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis' (Mtb) cell wall. One of these enzymes is ...Galactofuranosyltransferase 2 (GlfT2) that catalyzes the elongation of the galactan chain of Mtb cell wall. Studies targeting GlfT2 have so far produced compounds showing minimal inhibitory activity. With the current challenge of designing potential GlfT2 inhibitors with high inhibition activity, computational methods such as molecular docking, receptor-ligand mapping, molecular dynamics, and Three-Dimensional-Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (3D-QSAR) were utilized to deduce the interactions of the reported compounds with the target enzyme and enabling the design of more potent GlfT2 inhibitors. Molecular docking studies showed that the synthesized compounds have binding energy values between -3.00 to -6.00 kcal mol
. Two compounds, #27 and #31, have registered binding energy values of -8.32 ± 0.01, and -8.08 ± 0.01 kcal mol
, respectively. These compounds were synthesized as UDP-Galactopyranose mutase (UGM) inhibitors and could possibly inhibit GlfT2. Interestingly, the analogs of the known disaccharide substrate, compounds #1-4, have binding energy range of -10.00 to -19.00 kcal mol
. The synthesized and newly designed compounds were subjected to 3D-QSAR to further design compounds with effective interaction within the active site. Results showed improved binding energy from -6.00 to -8.00 kcal mol
. A significant increase on the binding affinity was observed when modifying the aglycon part instead of the sugar moiety. Furthermore, these top hit compounds were subjected to in silico ADMETox evaluation. Compounds #31, #70, #71, #72, and #73 were found to pass the ADME evaluation and throughout the screening, only compound #31 passed the predicted toxicity evaluation. This work could pave the way in the design and synthesis of GlfT2 inhibitors through computer-aided drug design and can be used as an initial approach in identifying potential novel GlfT2 inhibitors with promising activity and low toxicity.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Pese a no aparecer en ninguna disposición constitucional o legal relevante, el empleo de “acceso a la justicia” se ha ampliado notablemente en la jurisprudencia. Analizamos el Proyecto de Florencia ...como antecedente de este fenómeno y rastreamos sus propuestas en 191 tesis jurisprudenciales publicadas entre 1994 y 2019. Empleando algunas categorías analíticas, concluimos que la influencia de dicho proyecto es notoria en el reconocimiento de deberes judiciales contra el formalismo judicial y menor en la flexibilización del amparo o el reconocimiento de derechos sociales. Identificamos distintos sentidos de la expresión, criticando aquel que entiende acceso a la justicia como un derecho a “la resolución justa e igualitaria de los conflictos”, para lo cual empleamos la imagen del Zahir borgiano.
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ABSTRACT
An analysis of tropical cyclone (TC) data from 1951 to 2013 in the Philippines revealed that an average of 19.4 TCs enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) every year and nine TCs ...cross the country. Time series analysis of the TC datasets shows no significant trends in the annual number of TCs in PAR but a slightly decreasing trend in the number of landfalling TCs in the Philippines, particularly in the last two decades. However, while the analysis shows fewer typhoons (above 118 kph), more extreme TCs (above 150 kph) have affected the Philippines. The study also confirms that the Northern island of Luzon is most frequently hit by TCs, and that TC‐associated rainfall is greatest in this region compared to the southernmost part of the country. The impact of TCs shows a consistently increasing trend in economic losses and damages. Further understanding of past and future trends of TC activity in the Western North Pacific Basin, and the PAR, including the impacts associated with them, will provide valuable insights for climate change adaptation and disaster risk management.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
In Segovia Province, Spain, there are numerous carbonate rock outcrops that are affected by karstification processes, in which there are numerous galleries, caves and sinkholes. This is the case of ...the Sima de Madrona, a sinkhole collapse caused by the sinking of dolostone. The objective of this study was to ascertain the existence and the characteristics of cavities and galleries, as well as to evaluate the risk of subsidence in the area, by applying shallow and non-invasive geophysical techniques: ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography. The joint combination of these two independent shallow geophysical techniques has provided the best combination of investigation depth (up to 8m) and resolution needed to image small to medium (~1 to 4m) size cavities. The associated risks are evident because the cavities found herein affect various anthropic structures: a highway and crop fields.
► GPR and ERT techniques are useful to detect underground cavities. ► Both known and unknown cavities related to a sinkhole have been detected. ► Shallow geophysical methods are useful for assessing the risk of subsidence.
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In this paper, we describe the discovery and characterization of shelled structures that occur inside galleries of Pyrenees mines. The structures are formed by the mineralization of iron and zinc ...oxides, dominantly franklinite (ZnFe2O4) and poorly ordered goethite (α‐FeO(OH)). Subsurface oxidation and hydration of polymetallic sulfide orebodies produce solutions rich in dissolved metal cations including Fe2+/3+ and Zn2+. The microbially precipitated shell‐like structure grows by lateral or vertical stacking of thin laminae of iron oxide particles which are accreted mostly by fungal filaments. The resulting structures are composed of randomly oriented aggregates of needle‐like, uniform‐sized crystals, suggesting some biological control in the structure formation. Such structures are formed by the integration of two separated shells, following a complex process driven likely by different strategies of fungal microorganisms that produced the complex macrostructure.
Key Points
Shelled structures are produced by microbial communities
They produce biomineralized structures in abandoned mines by iron oxidation
Fungi are the main biomineralizing agent, whereas bacteria are secondary
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Mango anthracnose, caused by
spp., is the most significant disease of mango (
L.) in almost all production areas around the world. In Mexico, mango anthracnose has only been attributed to
and
. The ...aims of this study were to identify the
species associated with mango anthracnose symptoms in Mexico by phylogenetic inference using the
marker, to determine the distribution of these species, and to test their pathogenicity and virulence on mango fruits. Surveys were carried out from 2010 to 2012 in 59 commercial orchards in the major mango growing states of Mexico, and a total of 118 isolates were obtained from leaves, twigs, and fruits with typical anthracnose symptoms. All isolates were tentatively identified in the
species complex based on morphological and cultural characteristics. The Bayesian inference phylogenetic tree generated with
/MAT intergenic spacer sequences of 59 isolates (one per orchard) revealed that
,
,
,
, and
were associated with symptoms of mango anthracnose. In this study,
,
,
, and
are reported for the first time in association with mango tissues in Mexico. This study represents the first report of
causing mango anthracnose worldwide. The distribution of
species varied among the mango growing states from Mexico. Chiapas was the only state in which all five species were found. Pathogenicity tests on mango fruit cultivar Manila showed that all
species from this study could induce anthracnose lesions. However, differences in virulence were evident among species.
and
were the most virulent, whereas
and
were considered the least virulent species.
Aims
In this study, the species indicator test was used to identify key bacterial taxa affected by changes in the soil environment as a result of conservation agriculture or conventional practices.
...Methods and Results
Soils cultivated with wheat (Triticum spp. L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) under different raised bed planting systems for 20 years, that is, varying crop residue and fertilizer management, were used. Taxonomic‐ and divergence‐based 16S‐metagenomics, and IndVal analysis were used to study the bacterial communities and identify indicator taxa (genus and OTU97) affected by agricultural practices. Although, some phyla were affected significantly by different treatments, the taxonomic assemblages at phylum level were similar. Bacterial taxa related to different processes of the N‐cycle were indicators of different fertilization rates, for example, Azorhizobium, Nostoc and Nitrosomonas. A large number of OTU97 were indicators for conventionally tilled beds and their distribution was defined by soil organic carbon. IndVal analysis identified different taxa in each of the residue management systems. This suggests that although the same organic material remains in the field, crop residue management affects specific taxa. The taxa indicator of the burned residues belonged mainly to the order SBR1031 (Anaerolineae, Chloroflexi), and the genera Bacillus and Alicyclobacillus.
Conclusions
N‐fertilizer application rates affected N‐cycling taxa. Tillage affected Actinobacteria members and organic matter decomposers. Although the same crop residue was retained in the field, organic material management was important for specific taxa.
Significance and Impact of the Study
In this study, we report that agricultural practice affected soil bacterial communities. We also identified distinctive taxa and related their distribution to changes in the soil environment resulting from different agricultural practices.
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Abstract
The association between advanced paternal age and impaired reproductive outcomes is still controversial. Several studies relate decrease in semen quality, impaired embryo/fetal development ...and offspring health to increased paternal age. However, some retrospective studies observed no alterations on both seminal status and reproductive outcomes in older men. Such inconsistency may be due to the influence of intrinsic and external factors, such as genetics, race, diet, social class, lifestyle and obvious ethical issues that may bias the assessment of reproductive status in humans. The use of the murine model enables prospective study and owes the establishment of homogeneous and controlled groups. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of paternal age on in vitro embryo development at 4.5 day post conception and on in vivo fetal development at 16 days of gestation. Murine females (2–4 months of age) were mated with young (4–6 months of age) or senile (18–24 months of age) males. We observed decreased in vitro cleavage, blastocyst, and embryo development rates; lighter and shorter fetuses in the senile compared to the young group. This study indicated that advanced paternal age negatively impacts subsequent embryo and fetal development.
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•Total carotenoids (>25ppm) and β-carotene (>16ppm) analyzed in fresh roots.•No linkage found between carotenoids and root dry matter content (DMC).•DMC (10–50%) and cyanogenic potential (23–3927ppm) ...also observed in samples.•NIRS and Hunter color predictions reliable particularly for β-carotene and DMC.•High DMC biofortified cassava may benefit millions of African people.
Efforts are currently underway to improve carotenoids content in cassava roots through conventional breeding as a strategy to reduce vitamin A deficiency. However, only few samples can be quantified each day for total carotenoids (TCC) and β-carotene (TBC) contents, limiting the gains from breeding. A database with >3000 samples was used to evaluate the potential of NIRS and chromameter devices to predict root quality traits. Maximum TTC and TBC were up to 25.5 and 16.6μg/g (fresh weight basis), respectively. NIRS predictions were highly satisfactory for dry matter content (DMC, R2: 0.96), TCC (R2: 0.92) and TBC (R2: 0.93). NIRS could also distinguish roots with high or low cyanogenic potential (R2: 0.86). Hunter color parameters could also be used for predictions, but with lower accuracy than NIRS. NIRS or chromameter improve selection protocols, allowing faster gains from breeding. Results also demonstrate that TBC and DMC can be improved simultaneously (required for the adoption of biofortified cassava).
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