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Producción Científica, To recover industrial pectin from sugar beet pulp (SBP), a combined surfactant and ultrasound-assisted extrac- tion, followed by a concentration with ultrafiltration/diafiltration membranes is proposed. First, the operation conditions of the extraction were optimized for synthetic (Tween80, PEG4000) and natural (Saponin) surfac- tants. Tween 80 and Saponin provided maximum galacturonic acid (GalA) concentrations (5.5 and 5.8 g/L, respectively) under the best extraction conditions (4 gsurfactant/L, pH = 1, amplitude = 90%, and time = 90 min). The extracted liquid was purified and concentrated through membranes. The final retentate maintained 73% of the initial GalA and eliminated a high percentage of oligosaccharides. Finally, the pectin was precipitated with ethanol, and the precipitate solid contained 57 g GalA/100 g GalA of SBP with a high degree of esterification (DE = 81%) and MW (930 kDa). The pectin yield for the global process was 24.6%. The ultrasound-assisted extraction with surfactants followed by diafiltration/ultrafiltration could become a promising process for the chemical industry, able to provide pectin-enriched products of commercial interest from sugar beet pulp., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Proyecto PID2020–115110RB-I00/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033), Junta de Castilla y León (UIC 320, VAG028G19, CLU-2017–09, CL-EI-2021–07), Junta de Castilla y Leon (postdoctoral grant E-47–2019-0114592)

Producción Científica, Discarded red beetroot (DRB) is an organic waste generated in the food industry. This study is focused on the valorization of DRB through the recovery of bioactive compounds. The characterization of the DRB juice confirmed a higher content of antioxidants (DPPH 504 ± 24 μmol TE/L, FRAP 10920 ± 440 μmol TE/L, ABTS 22012 ± 592 μmol TE/L), phenolic compounds (1789 ± 56 mg GAE/L), flavonoids (471 ± 17 mg CE/L) and betalains (1426 ± 24 mg/L) than commercial juices. DRB pomace contains pectin that was recovered by microwave extraction aided by a surfactant (polyethylene glycol, PEG4000). Conditions (temperature, time and surfactant concentration) for the extraction of galacturonic acid (GalA) or pectooligosaccharides (POS) were optimized by a central composite experimental design. POS were extracted at high temperatures (160 °C, 5.3 min, 8.4 g PEG4000/L, yield of 271.2 g POS/kg dry pomace). In comparison, galacturonic acid extraction was favored at moderate conditions (137 °C, 5 min, 2.5 g PEG4000/L, yield of 120.1 g GalA/kg dry pomace). The characterization of the freeze-dried hydrolysates revealed that the solid obtained under moderate temperature conditions (137 °C) showed a higher GalA content (49.5%) and lower neutral sugars (11.4%), as GalA degrades at lower temperatures than pentoses. The recovered pectin can be considered high-methoxyl pectin, as the degree of esterification was higher than 50%. FTIR spectra of the freeze-dried hydrolysates showed functional groups consistent with pectin. MALDI-TOF-MS analysis revealed the presence of oligosaccharides of hexoses and pentoses with different structures and degrees of polymerization. Thus, DRB, a low-value vegetable waste, can be converted into high-value-added bioproducts in a biorefinery framework., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (proyect PID2020-115110RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033), Junta de Castilla y León (UIC 320, VAG028G19, CLU-2017-09) and grant (REF EDU/875/2021)

Producción Científica, The use of mineral fertilizers in agriculture has significantly increased to support the growing global food demand. Organic fertilizers are produced from renewable waste materials to overcome the drawbacks of inorganic fertilizers. The development of novel production processes of organic fertilizers entails a significant advance towards the circular economy that reincorporates waste materials into the production cycle. In this work, the economic and environmental feasibility of an industrial plant with a treatment capacity of 300 kg/h of organic waste for the production of liquid fertilizers has been performed. Two extraction technologies (conventional and microwave) and two solvents (water and alkaline) have been compared to select the most sustainable and profitable scenario for scaling-up. The extraction process consists of 2 steps: extraction followed by a concentration stage (necessary only if water extraction is applied). The resolution of the mass balances shows that the fertilizer production under alkaline conditions is ten times higher than for water-based extraction. The economic analysis demonstrated that the total investment cost of microwave technology (>3.5 M€) is three times higher compared to the conventional extraction technology (, Programa INTERREG V-A España-Portugal y Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project 0119_VALORCOMP_2_P), Junta de Castilla y León (grants UIC 320, CLU 2017-09 and E-47-2019-0114592)

A microwave assisted hydrothermal pretreatment technology has been developed to recover fermentable sugars from brewer’s spent grain. Microwave hydrothermal pretreatment is considered as a greener pretreatment, as no acid or alkali are used as catalysts. An experimental design was planned to analyze the effect of pretreatment conditions (temperature and time). The objective was to maximize hemicellulosic sugar recovery in the liquid fraction and glucose recovery in enzymatic hydrolysis (referred to untreated BSG), as well as to minimize inhibitors in the liquid fraction to ensure ABE (acetone, butanol and ethanol) fermentability. Optimal conditions were 192.7 °C and 5.4 min, resulting in 64% hemicellulosic sugar recovery, 70% glucose recovery in enzymatic hydrolysate and 2.4 g/L total inhibitors. The liquid fraction obtained under optimal conditions was fermented with Clostridium beijerinckii, reaching a butanol concentration as low as 1 g/L. The butanol concentration could be improved by operating at higher solid loadings in pretreatment, which would increase fermentable sugar concentration. Enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated BSG yielded a sugar solution, which was also fermented, resulting in a butanol concentration and overall yield of 8.3 g/L and 46 kg/t BSG, respectively.

In this study, a comparative analysis of different pretreatment strategies on hydrolysis and fermentation of brewers’ spent grain for biobutanol production by C. beijerinckii is presented. Ozone (2.7% w/w, 30 min, 40–60% w/w humidity), sodium hydroxide (1–5 % w/w NaOH, 30 min, 120 oC, 5–15 % w/w BSG) and hydrogen peroxide (5% w/w H2O2, pH 11.5, 60–180 min, 50 °C, 5–15 % w/w BSG) were the pretreatments analyzed. Ozonolysis was not very effective for either the degradation of lignin or the recovery of fermentable sugars in the enzymatic process under the tested operation conditions. Maximum butanol and ABE concentrations, 5.3± 0.2 g butanol/L and 6.8 ± 0.2 g ABE/L, were observed when low moisture content was used (40% w/w). The peroxide alkaline pretreatment was found to be the most effective for BSG, when it was conducted at 5% BSG for 60 min. Under these conditions, sugar enzymatic yields of 62.8% for glucose and 28.1% for xylose and arabinose, referred to untreated BSG, and product concentrations of 11.0± 0.2 g butanol/L and 13.7 ± 0.2 g ABE/L, were achieved. The alkaline pretreatment at 15% BSG with 1% w/w NaOH also provided high butanol and ABE concentrations (7.3 ± 0.1 g butanol/L and 8.9 ± 0.1 g ABE/L). Both the sodium hydroxide alkaline and peroxide alkaline methods were highly successful as pretreatments of BSG for ABE production, with overall yields of 44.4 g butanol/kg BSG and 54.0 g ABE/kg BSG for NaOH pretreatment (15% BSG, 1% w/w NaOH) and 45.1 g butanol/kg BSG and 56.1 g ABE/kg BSG for H2O2 pretreatment (5% BSG, 60 min).

Sugarcane straw (SCS) was pretreated with dilute sulfuric acid assisted by microwave to magnify fermentable sugars and to minimize the concentration of inhibitors in the hydrolysates. The optimum conditions for maximum recovery of sugars were 162 °C and 0.6% (w/v) H2SO4. The low level of inhibitors, such as acetate (2.9 g/L) and total phenolics (1.4 g/L), in the SCS slurry from the pretreatment stage allowed the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation steps to occur without detoxification. Besides consuming the total sugar content (31.0 g/L), Clostridium beijerinckii Br21 was able to use acetate from the SCS hydrolysate, to give butyric acid at high conversion factor (0.49 g of butyric acid /g of sugar). The optimized pretreatment conditions spared acid, time, and the detoxification stage, making bio-butyric acid production from SCS extremely attractive.

Producción Científica, In this study, an innovative approach is proposed for the integral valorization of all sugars (cellulosic and hemicellulosic) contained in a lignocellulosic residue, as is brewer's spent grain (BSG), through the production of an advanced biofuel such as biobutanol. For this purpose, the whole slurry obtained in the microwave assisted dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment under optimized conditions (147 °C, 2 min and 1.26% H2SO4) at a biomass loading as high as 15% (w/v) was enzymatically hydrolyzed without previous solid-liquid separation and the highly concentrated solution of sugars recovered was fermented to butanol by Clostridium beijerinckii after detoxification with activated charcoal. In this way, all sugars (pentoses and hexoses) contained in BSG could be fermented using a single bioreactor, leading to 11 g/L of butanol and 16 g/L of ABE, which correspond with butanol and ABE yields of 0.21 and 0.32 g/g, respectively. The mass balance revealed then an overall yield of 91 kg butanol/t BSG and 138 kg ABE/t BSG could be reached., Junta de Castilla y León y EU-FEDER (VA010P17, CLU 2017-09, UIC 129).

The synergistic effect of potential inhibitory compounds (organic acids and phenolic compounds) on ABE fermentation was studied with model media containing sucrose and real media prepared from beet and cane sugar refining molasses. The presence of phenolic compounds inhibited ABE fermentation at concentrations as low as 0.5 g/L for gallic acid and 0.1 g/L for catechin. The co-presence of organic acids (2.2 g/L acetic, 1.8 g/L lactic and 0.6 g/L formic) showed a synergistic positive effect that can counteract the inhibitory character of phenolics. This effect was significantly higher at low phenolic concentrations. This means that the inhibitory effect of phenolic compounds on ABE production with Clostridium beijerinckii could be overcome by the presence of organic acids at low concentration in fermentation media. The results were confirmed by using a substrate of molasses. Better fermentation was achieved with beet molasses due to the lower concentration of phenolics, especially catechin. The fermentation using beet and cane sugar refining molasses as substrate (60 g/L) provided an ABE yield of 0.40 g ABE/g sugars and 0.31 g ABE/g sugars, respectively and ABE concentrations of 12.3 g/L (205 g ABE/kg beet molasses) and 7 g ABE/L (120 g ABE/kg cane molasses).

Brewer's spent grain (BSG) is a promising feedstock for ABE fermentation. Sulfuric acid pretreatment of BSG at pH 1, 121°C and different solid loadings (5-15% w/w) was investigated. Enzymatic hydrolysis and ABE fermentation by Clostridium beijerinckii DSM 6422 of non-washed and washed pretreated BSG were performed to compare monosaccharide release and butanol production. Pretreatment at 15% w/w BSG resulted in higher availability of sugars in both the enzymatic hydrolysates and pretreatment liquid, and overall yields of 75gbutanol/kg BSG and 95gABE/kg BSG were obtained. When the enzymatic hydrolysate from the washed pretreated BSG was fermented, butanol (6.0±0.5g/L) and ABE (7.4±1.0g/L) concentrations were lower compared with 7.5±0.6g/L butanol and 10.0±0.8g/L ABE from a control. The fermentation of the liquid released in the pretreatment at 15% w/w resulted in a butanol production of 6.6±0.8g/L with a total ABE of 8.6±1.3g/L after overliming.

PurposeThe literature provides contradictory findings on planning contradictory findings on planning as a success factor in projects which entail high innovation. Nevertheless, new product development (NPD) research has mainly adopted the causation lens, in which planning plays an important role. By embracing the logic of effectuation, the purpose of this paper is to secure a wider perspective concerning how the various NPD options develop, taking into account the role played by uncertainty.Design/methodology/approachBy adopting an inductive approach, the authors attempt to advance existing knowledge on the topic. The qualitative methodology (documentary analysis, content analysis and alternate templates) is adopted for the analysis of four NPD projects in the food industry in Spain.FindingsResults reflect the relevance of the two perspectives considered when explaining the NPD process, with the presence of hybrid behaviour in all the projects and effectuation emerging as the dominant logic in the project linked to a greater degree of innovation and uncertainty.Research limitations/implicationsProjects involving varying degrees of innovation would seem to require different NPD approaches. This paper provides an initial approach to the subject, and it analyses a small number of firms. It is necessary to better understand to what extent the two logics are present in different types of projects.Practical implicationsBy incorporating the logic of effectuation, firms might consider using NPD as a means of engaging in projects that entail a higher degree of innovation, since it offers ways of dealing with the uncertainty linked to such projects.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the still early efforts to apply the perspective of effectuation to the area of NPD, by linking the logics of effectuation and causation to the various NPD processes taking account of their varying degrees of innovation and uncertainty (exploitation, exploration and leverage options).

The congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are defects in glycoprotein and glycolipid glycan synthesis and attachment. They affect multiple organ/systems, but non-specific symptoms render the diagnosis of the different CDG very challenging. Phosphomannomutase 2 (PMM2)-CDG is the most common CDG, but advances in genetic analysis have shown others to occur more commonly than previously thought. The present work reports the clinical and mutational spectrum of 25 non-PMM2 CDG patients. The most common clinical symptoms were hypotonia (80%), motor or psychomotor disability (80%) and craniofacial dysmorphism (76%). Based on their serum transferrin isoform profile, 18 were classified as CDG-I and 7 as CDG-II. Pathogenic variations were found in 16 genes (ALG1, ALG6, ATP6V0A2, B4GALT1, CCDC115, COG7, DOLK, DPAGT1, DPM1, GFPT1, MPI, PGM1, RFT1, SLC35A2, SRD5A3, and SSR4). Overall, 27 variants were identified, 12 of which are novel. The results highlight the importance of combining genetic and biochemical analyses for the early diagnosis of this heterogeneous group of disorders.

Traditionally, the teaching and learning of algebra has been addressed at the beginning of secondary education with a methodological approach that broke traumatically into a mathematical universe until now represented by numbers, with bad consequences. It is important, then, to find methodological alternatives that allow the parallel development of arithmetical and algebraic thinking from the first years of learning. This article begins with a review of a series of theoretical foundations that support a methodological proposal based on the use of specific manipulative materials that foster a deep knowledge of the decimal number system, while verbalizing and representing quantitative situations that underline numerical relationships and properties and patterns of numbers. Developing and illustrating this approach is the main purpose of this paper. The proposal has been implemented in a group of 25 pupils in the first year of primary school. Some observed milestones are presented and analyzed. In the light of the results, this well-planned early intervention contains key elements to initiate algebraic thinking through the development of number sense, naturally enhancing the translation of purely arithmetical situations into the symbolic language characteristic of algebraic thinking., University of Cordoba 2020-4-4003

Producción Científica, This study proposes an integrated biorefinery of brewer's spent grain (BSG) based on the application of a microwave pretreatment to obtain bioproducts, such as arabinoxylans (AX) and an advanced biofuel, such as biobutanol. A prehydrolysate with 17 g/L AX was obtained at 172 °C and 0.38 M NaOH, which were subsequently precipitated using an organosolvent process, recovering 133 kg AX/t BSG. The subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis with endo-xylanases significantly increased the concentration ofoligomers with 2-6 units of xylose. The presence of oligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization (DP) from 3 to 27 was confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS. On the other hand, the pretreated solid residue obtained in the microwave assisted alkaline pretreatment was enzymatically hydrolyzed with cellulases and fermented by Clostridium beijerinckii, producing 9.9 g/L butanol (28 kg butanol/t BSG and 37 kg ABE/t BSG). Thus, the potential for the efficient use of BSG in an integrated biorefinery was demonstrated., Junta de Castilla y León y UE-FEDER (VA010P17, CLU 2017-09 y UIC 129)

Sugarcane straw was pretreated with acetic acid in a microwave-assisted process for further use in fermentative butyric acid production by Clostridium beijerinckii Br21. An experimental design with temperatures between 170 and 220 °C and acetic acid concentrations between 0.3 and 0.9 % (w/v) provided the optimal conditions (220 °C and 0.3 % acetic acid (w/v)) for maximum total sugar recovery (74 %). Three hydrolysates originated from sugarcane straw pretreatment under optimal conditions were used as substrates for fermentation to produce butyric acid. Hydrolysate 1 was the liquid fraction resulting from pretreatment; Hydrolysate 2 was the enzymatic hydrolysate of the pretreated solid fraction, whereas Hydrolysate 3 was the enzymatic hydrolysate obtained from the whole slurry. In all the fermentations in which the hydrolysates were employed, butyric acid was the only product that was generated by C. beijerinckii Br21: 19.5 g/L was the maximum concentration obtained, and the yield was 0.46 g of butyric acid per g of sugar. C. beijerinckii Br21 was also able to consume the acetic acid that was used in the pretreatment step. Therefore, sugarcane straw pretreatment by microwave in the presence of acetic acid is a promising method to obtain highly specific butyric acid bioproduction.

1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) was biosynthesised with Clostridium butyricum DSM 10702 using crude glycerol as a substrate. The batch fermentation of crude glycerol (70 g/L) without previous purification produced a significant concentration of 1,3-propanediol (35.9 g/L, Y1,3-PD/S = 0.51 g 1,3-PD/g glycerol) at 37 °C and pH 6.5. The maximum tolerance of C. butyricum DSM 10702 to the inhibitory effect of the substrate was 70 g/L. In fed-batch fermentation, the 1,3-PD concentration was similar: 36.1 g/L. Pretreatment processes for biodiesel-based crude glycerol based on ion exchange resins (Lewatit S8528 and Lewatit GF series) were evaluated. For the two different fermentation modes studied (batch and fed-batch systems), the pretreatment slightly improved the results reached in fermentations carried out with untreated crude glycerol, especially 1,3-PD productivity which increased from 0.52 g/(L · h) for crude glycerol to 0.99 g/(L · h) for pretreated glycerol. In batch fermentation of glycerol pretreated with a Lewatit S8528, a concentration of 41.4 g/L of 1,3-PD was reached, similar to that found in fed-batch fermentation.

Producción Científica, Nowadays, the extensive use of inorganic fertilizers has increased the salinity of soil and decreased optimal assimilation of nutrients by crops. Organic carbon is basic for controlling the nutrient level in soil and nutrient assimilation by plants. The objective of this study was to develop a process for recovering organic carbon using compost from mixed municipal waste as raw material. The use of fertilizers from organic residues could replace mineral fertilizers, contributing to resources preservation and recycling of organic matter. In this way, a Taguchi experimental design was proposed to select the most suitable operating conditions for recovering organic carbon from the organic residue. The variable factors were the solid:liquid ratio, type of solvent, extraction time, and particle size. The optimum extraction conditions were: solid:liquid ratio 1:2.5, 1 M potassium hydroxide (KOH), 72 h, and particle size > 1 mm. Subsequent experiments concluded that separating the mixed municipal waste compost (MMWC) by fractions of different particle sizes before extraction process is not recommended. Under these conditions, the total organic carbon concentration in the extract was 6.9% w/w, of which the content of humic acids was 47.6%. On the other hand, the extract complies with the legal requirements of Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 for fertilizing products regarding composition. Germination tests were carried out to analyze the phytotoxic effects of organic extracts. Finally, a preliminary economic study showed the viability for a production plant with a capacity of 300 kg/h of MMWC. The production of liquid fertilizer was 200 L per 100 kg of dry compost, and the estimated sale price to obtain economic benefits was 1 €/L of fertilizer for a plant whose total investment cost was 1,600 k€., INTERREG V-569A Spain-Portugal (POCTEP) 2014-2020 and EU-FEDER (project 0119_VALORCOMP_2_P), Junta de Castilla y León y EU-FEDER (UIC 572129) y (CLU2017-09), Junta de Castilla y León (E-47-2019-0114592)

The recycling of polystyrene wastes by precipitation from limonene solutions using CO2 as antisolvent is an alternative and original environmentally friendly route to recover high quality wastes. The most suitable working conditions to conduct the process are selected based on the accurate knowledge of the phase equilibrium for the ternary mixture. To maximize the recycling of polymeric wastes while the consumption of CO2 and limonene is minimized, high values of pressure (≥100 bar), low values of temperature (≤30°C) and moderated concentrations of polymer (≤0.4 g PS/ml limonene) are required.

BACKGROUND: The adsorption and desorption of phenol, 2-chlorophenol (2-CPh), 4-chlorophenol (4-CPh) and 2,4dichlorophenol (2,4-DCPh) were carried out using granular activated carbon (GAC) as adsorbent and supercritical CO2 as regenerant. Adsorption studies at three different temperatures were fitted by using two thermodynamic adsorption models, Langmuir and Toth. The GAC regeneration by CO2 at four different pressures and two temperatures was studied and the design basic parameters were found. RESULTS: The Toth model fitted the experimental data better and thermodynamic properties indicated that this adsorption process was spontaneous, feasible and exothermic. Values of standard enthalpy lower than 40 kJ mol -1 confirmed that adsorption processes were carried out by physical adsorption. It was also observed that the higher the pressure the higher the regeneration efficiency due to the increase in solvent density. CONCLUSION: GAC presented high selectivity for these substituted phenols and the order of adsorption was 2,4-DCPh > 4CPh > 2CPh > phenol. Supercritical technology was able to regenerate the exhausted GAC, achieving yields comparable with those exhibited by traditional technologies but avoiding additional separation processes. The effective diffusivities of phenols followed the order phenol > 2-CPh∼4-CPh > 2,4-DCPh. c � 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

The literature on fiscal policies is paying increasing attention to the impact of the composition of public expenditures on long-term economic growth. Public policy endogenous growth models recommend to change the composition of public expenditures to items considered productive expenditures. In this sense, European institutions are encouraging the rise in the share of productive outlays like public investments, R&D, and active labor market policies, among others. The article analyzes whether these recommendations are followed by European Union countries and whether a convergence to a new pattern of public finances with a higher share of those items considered productive expenditures by European institutions is arising.

By applying a diversity oriented synthesis strategy for the search of new antagonists of the thrombin receptor PAR1, a series of peptide-based ureas and thioureas, including analogues of the PAR1 reference antagonist RWJ-58259, has been designed and synthesized. The general synthetic scheme involves reduction of basic amino acid-derived amino nitriles by hydrogen transfer from hydrazine monohydrate in the presence of Raney Ni, followed by reaction with diverse isocyanates and isothiocyanates, and protecting group removal. All new compounds have been evaluated as inhibitors of human platelet aggregation induced by the PAR1 agonist SFLLRN. Some protected peptide-based ureas displayed significant antagonist activity., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación grant SAF2009-09323. P. V.-A. held a FPI fellowship from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación

CoQ deficiency study group: et al., We evaluated the coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ) levels in patients who were diagnosed with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and non-OXPHOS disorders (n = 72). Data from the 72 cases in this study revealed that 44.4% of patients showed low CoQ concentrations in either their skeletal muscle or skin fibroblasts. Our findings suggest that secondary CoQ deficiency is a common finding in OXPHOS and non-OXPHOS disorders. We hypothesize that cases of CoQ deficiency associated with OXPHOS defects could be an adaptive mechanism to maintain a balanced OXPHOS, although the mechanisms explaining these deficiencies and the pathophysiological role of secondary CoQ deficiency deserves further investigation., This work was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS: PI12/01683, PI14/00005, PI14/00028 and PI14/01962), the Explora Ciencia Program (SAF2013-50139-EXP), the Departamento de Ciencia, Tecnología, from Universidad del Gobierno de Aragón (Grupos Consolidados B33), the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER Funding Program) from the European Union. The CIBERER is an initiative of the ISCIII. UCLH/UCL received a proportion of funding from the Department of Health sNIHR Biomedical Research Centers funding scheme.

The synthesis of 1,4-unsubstituted piperazin-2-ones by one-pot reductive cyclization of PheΨ[CH(CN)NH]Gly pseudodipeptides is described. Studies on the reactivity of the piperazin-2-one ring showed a higher reactivity at the N4 position than at the N1 position. The stepwise regioselective functionalization of piperazin-2-one derivatives showed great potential for molecular diversity generation.

Diverse basic amino acid-derived α-amino nitriles have been synthesized via a modified Strecker reaction, using TMSCN as the cyanide source. It has been found that this synthesis is a slow thermodynamically controlled reaction, where it was difficult to induce stereocontrol. Moderate selectivity was induced by thermodynamic control of the reaction in MeOH. The absolute configuration at the stereogenic center generated was assigned by chemical correlation with 2-oxopiperazine derivatives., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación grant SAF2009-09323. P. V.-A. held a FPI fellowship from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.

Based on β-turn-like BDNF loops 2 and 4, involved in receptor interaction, cyclic peptide replicas were designed, synthesized and tested. In addition to the native turn residues, the cyclic peptides include a linker unit between the N- and C-termini, selected by molecular modeling among various non-proteinogenic cyclic amino acids. NMR conformational studies showed that most of the cyclic peptides were able to adopt turn-like structures. Several of the analogues displayed significant inhibition of the BDNF-induced TrkB receptor phosphorylation, and hence could be useful templates for developing improved antagonists for this receptor. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resumen Introduccion La reseccion abdominoperineal tras radioterapia se acompana de una alta tasa de complicaciones de la herida perineal. El proposito de este estudio retrospectivo fue evaluar los resultados de la reconstruccion perineal con un colgajo miocutaneo de musculo recto abdominal en pacientes con cancer anal recurrente o persistente. Pacientes y metodo Entre 2006 y 2010, 6 pacientes varones VIH+ fueron tratados despues del fracaso del tratamiento inicial con quimio-radioterapia. Tras amputacion abdominoperineal, se realizo un colgajo miocutaneo de recto anterior. Resultados La media de edad fue de 36,3 anos (rango: 30-42). La curacion primaria de la herida perineal se consiguio en los primeros treinta dias. No hubo complicaciones mayores en el postoperatorio inmediato o tras un seguimiento medio de 26,5 meses. Hubo 2 complicaciones menores (33,3%) relacionadas con la herida perineal. No hubo complicaciones de la pared abdominal. Conclusion La utilizacion de un colgajo miocutaneo del recto anterior del abdomen, en pacientes con cancer anal recurrente o persistente, se asocio con un bajo indice de complicaciones perineales.

Cultivation of Spirulina maxima in media containing vinasse from beet molasses fermentation has been studied in both batch cultures and a photobioreactor. The results obtained in batch tests showed that S. maxima was able to grow in Schlosser media containing up to 5 g/L of vinasse or alkaline diluted vinasse (5 g/L). Biomass concentrations ranging from 3.5 and 4.8 g/L, productivities from 0.15 to 0.24 (g/L d) and specific growth rates about 0.1 d−1 were found. Betaine, an organic nitrogenous compound present in vinasse, was completely consumed. The continuous operation in a tubular photobioreactor with Schlosser medium supplemented with 2 g/L of vinasse led to S. maxima concentrations about 8 g/L and productivities of 0.7 g/L d for an hydraulic retention time of 11 d using a light intensity of 3000 lux, slightly higher than those achieved with Schlosser medium, showing that the addition of vinasse presents a positive effect on the growth of the microalgae.

Optimal experimental conditions for catalytic conversion of glycerol to 1,2 propanediol over catalyst Ru/C are investigated. Results indicate that glycerol hydrogenolysis is the result of two reaction stages: dehydration to acetol and hydrogenation to 1,2 propanediol. Use of a cationic exchange resin improves the dehydration stage, providing higher conversion and selectivity to 1,2 propanediol. Division of the reaction time into a dehydration period (under a nitrogen atmospheric pressure) and a hydrogenation period (under a hydrogen atmosphere of 60 bar) is essayed. This sequential stage reaction process provides lower glycerol conversion but increases the selectivity ratio between 1,2 propanediol and the main liquid by-product, ethylenglycol. The influence of two relevant variables in this process, H 2 /glycerol ratio and initial glycerol concentration, is analysed. Increasing the H 2 /glycerol ratio increases glycerol conversion, although it also causes higher production of unfavourable ethylenglycol. Ethylenglycol production is reduced when the glycerol concentration increases. A balance between conversion and selectivity is necessary in order to select optimal reaction conditions.

Two methods are currently available for age estimation in octopus beaks. They have been applied to the same specimen from a sample of 30 individuals of Octopus vulgaris caught in central-eastern Atlantic waters. These techniques aim at revealing growth increments in the rostrum sagittal sections (RSS) and lateral wall surfaces (LWS) of octopus upper and lower beaks. Both methods were improved to reduce the time of sample preparation and to enhance the appearance of the increments. For each individual, two independent readings were done for upper and lower beak sections, as well as for the lateral wall surfaces. Vertical reflected light (epifluorescence) and image analysis system were shown to be useful in the observation and analysis of the sequence of increments. Precision of the ageing, increment counts obtained by both techniques, and increment widths were discussed. Using upper beak RSS led to more precise age estimates, whereas preparing LWS was quicker and simpler, and revealed a higher number of increments. Therefore, our study recommends counting growth increments in LWS of beaks to age adult, Sí

Resumen Objetivo Seleccionar individuos cuya obesidad morbida (OM) se pueda atribuir preferentemente al perfil genetico individual. Tras descartar pacientes con posibles sindromes monogenicos y otras enfermedades con obesidad asociada, evaluar la asociacion de la variabilidad del gen FTO (asociado con la masa grasa y la obesidad), sobre la base de los polimorfismos de un solo nucleotido (SNP) con rs1861868 y rs9939609, con la predisposicion heredada a padecer OM. Pacientes y metodos Tras evaluar a 270 pacientes con OM instaurada antes de los 14 anos, seleccionamos a 194 por su fenotipo y la historia familiar referida; se incluyo a 289 individuos controles. Se genotiparon los cambios en el SNP rs1861868 y rs9939609 del gen FTO, y comparamos sus frecuencias genotipicas y haplotipicas en ambos grupos poblacionales. Resultados Se confirmo la asociacion del alelo A del SNP rs9939609 con la obesidad grave instaurada en la infancia en la poblacion espanola. Los individuos portadores del haplotipo rs1861868 G/rs9939609 A del gen FTO mostraron un incremento del riesgo (odds ratio de 3,03; intervalo de confianza del 95%: 1,74–5,27) a padecer obesidad morbida en nuestra poblacion. Conclusion Analizar las bases geneticas de la obesidad precisa una rigurosa seleccion de los casos. La asociacion del SNP rs9939609 con la obesidad, ampliamente descrita en distintas poblaciones, se confirma en la poblacion espanola. Identificamos el primer haplotipo de riesgo al analizar el SNP rs1861868 del bloque haplotipico contiguo al que contiene el primero. Es preciso estudiar en profundidad la variabilidad interindividual del gen FTO para identificar la causa de su capacidad deleterea a la enfermedad.

Softening of beet sugar juices using the weak cation exchange resin Lewatit® S 8528, both in hydrogen and sodium form has been studied. After analyzing the influence of the main operating parameters on decalcification efficiencies through a Taguchi approach, experimental runs were carried out at 40 BV/h and 80 °C to determine operation time, breakthrough point and resin capacity. The performance of the Lewatit S 8528 resin was compared with that of the industrially used Amberlite SR1L Na, a strong cation exchange resin. The experimental results showed that the use of Lewatit S 8528 in the acidic form is a feasible alternative to the classical strong cation exchange resins, providing calcium removal efficiencies higher than 80%. The mean calcium concentration in the softened thin juice was lower than 18 mg CaO/L. The breakthrough point corresponding to weak resin Lewatit S 8528 in H + form, 700 bed volume, was considerable higher than that obtained for the strong resin Amberlite (300 BV). No considerably increase in the concentration of reducing sugars in the softened juice was observed. The consumption of chemical reagents in the regeneration stage was 3.2 ± 0.5 kg H 2 SO 4 /m 3 , considerably lower than the consumption of sodium chloride, 44 ± 1 kg NaCl/m 3 when the strong Amberlite resin was used.

9 pags, 5 figs, 1 tab. -- Supporting Information is available at the Publisher's web, (Chemical Equation Presented) Reverse turns, a common motif in proteins and peptides, have attracted attention due to their relevance in a wide variety of biological processes. In an attempt to artificially imitate and stabilize these turns in short peptides, we have developed versatile synthetic methodologies for the preparation of 2-alkyl-2-carboxyazetidines and incorporated them into the i + 1 position of model tetrapeptides, where they have shown a tendency to induce γ-turns. However, to ascertain the general utility of these restricted amino acids as γ-type reverse turn inducers, it was then required to study the conformational preferences when located at other positions. To this end, model tetrapeptides R-CO-Ala-Xaa-NHMe, containing differently substituted azetidine moieties (Xaa = Aze, 2-MeAze, 2-BnAze) at the i + 2 position, were synthesized and subjected to a thorough conformational analysis. The theoretical and experimental results obtained, including the X-ray diffraction structure of a dipeptide derivative containing this skeleton, provide evidence that the 2-alkyl-2-carboxyazetidine scaffold is able to efficiently induce γ-turns when incorporated into these short peptides, irrespective of their localization in the peptide chain. © 2009 American Chemical Society., This work has been supported by CICYT (SAF 2006-01205). J.L.B. was a predoctoral FPI fellow. The “Centro Técnico de Informática (CTI-CSIC)” granted computer time.

Mutations in the assembly chaperone BCS1L constitute a major cause of mitochondrial complex III deficiency. We studied the presence of BCS1L mutations in a complex III-deficient patient with metabolic acidosis, liver failure, and tubulopathy. A previously reported mutation, p.R56X, was identified in one BCS1L allele, and two novel heterozygous mutations, g.1181A>G and g.1164C>G, were detected in the second allele. The g.1181A>G mutation generated an alternative splicing site in the BCS1L transcript, causing a 19-nucleotides deletion in its 5'UTR region. Decreased BCS1L mRNA and protein levels, and a respiratory chain complex III assembly impairment, determine a pathogenic role for the novel BCS1L mutations.