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Zika virus infection affects the development of the nervous system. This study describes the cognitive, adaptative, communicative, social and motor neurodevelopment of children exposed to Zika virus in utero. We used the Batelle scale to assess neurodevelopment three years after birth. Thirty children were included, who had a mean age at evaluation of 37.5 (IQR: 35.7-39.2) months. We found the following equivalent ages in months for each area: motor 25.8 (SD: 7.8), adaptive 26.7 (SD: 5.8), communicative 30.2 (SD: 6.9), social personal 33.5 (SD: 8.3) and cognitive 35.6 (SD: 5.9). Children showed development delay for their chronological age, 25 children were delayed in one of the five areas assessed. A high rate of children exposed to Zika virus during gestation presented delayed developmental age, mainly regarding the adaptive and motor areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Candida rugosa lipase was immobilized by covalent binding on wood cellulignin (Eucaliptus grandis) chemically modified with different activating agents as carbonyldiimidazole, glutaraldehyde and sodium metaperiodate. The resulted immobilized derivatives were evaluated in both aqueous (hydrolysis) and organic (ester synthesis) media. In aqueous media a comparative study between free and immobilized derivatives was provided in terms of pH, temperature and kinetic constants (V max and K m) following the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl palmitate, in which new optima values were established. The experimental results suggested that functional activating agents render different interactions between enzyme and cellulignin, producing consequently alterations in the optimal reaction conditions. Different behavior was found when the immobilized derivatives were tested in organic media, under these conditions similar esterification activities were observed, independent on the agent used to active the immobilizing support. Reasons for this are discussed on the light of the interactions among the support, functional activating agent and lipase structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

What have colleges and universities done to increase student of color enrollment since the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger? This article provides a critical race theory (CRT) snapshot of selective data and institutions since these landmark decisions. We find that even though Grutter gives the go-ahead to use affirmative action, higher education has failed politically to take on this challenge. When taken together, the Gratz and Grutter decisions allow higher education institutions to engage in symbolic affirmative action measures that appear as diversity measures but are operationalized as race neutral when one examines the data of continuing overall declines of students of color at many institutions. The authors conclude with a CRT call for a more expansive affirmative action with higher education administrators doing more to justify affirmative action through Grutter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to estimate fermentation kinetic parameters to develop a mathematical model of the bioethanol production under magnetic field effect. Thus, a non-structured mathematical model was developed considering three non-lineal kinetic models typically known as Levenspiel, Aiba, Jerusalimsky, which take into account inhibitory effects of the high product concentration on yeasts. The non-lineal differential equations system solution was carried out by MatLab software using the Runge-Kutta fourth-order multivariable method. This method was improved through a replication scheme coupled with Newton-Raphson method modified with a damping Broyden parameter. Experimental data on substrate consumption, biomass formation and ethanol production were collected at magnetic field intensities (H) of 414, 796 and 1216 A/cm during 16 h of fermentation. Consequently, the adjusted model for biomass, consumed substrate and bioethanol produced allowed us to correlate fermentation kinetic parameters with the magnetic field. The best result was observed when Jerusalimsky model modified with a magnetic field parameter was considered, because the RMSD order and R-square correlation coefficient were around 10−3 and higher than 0.95, respectively. These results are important to understand the phenomenological behavior of this unconventional bioprocess and be helpful to further sensibility analysis and scale up of the bioethanol production assisted by electromagnetic field. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethanol production from biomass-derived pentose sugar challenges the development of low cost technologies to produce 2G ethanol. Although some studies describe ethanol production from yeast, few reports describe its manufacturing from hemicelluloses sugars in stirred-tank fermenter under controlled conditions. Experimental assays were performed to evaluate the influence of aeration, agitation rate and initial pH on ethanol production using sugarcane bagasse hemicelluloses hydrolysate by Scheffersomyces stipitis NRRL Y-7124 and Scheffersomyces shehatae UFMG HM 52.2. Ethanol production from these two yeasts was favored by initial pH increase and agitation rate decrease. The maximum fermentative yield was attained by S . stipitis and S . shehatae yeasts at 100 RPM, initial pH 6.50 and under oxygen limited conditions (0.1 and 3.2 h −1 ). Yield, ethanol productivity and process efficiency in S . shehatae and S . stipitis were 0.42 and 0.16 g g −1 , 0.25 and 0.1 g L −1 h −1 and 85 and 31%, respectively. It showed that S . shehatae presented the best ethanol production performance. The current study is the first report describing the influence of these variables on hemicelluloses hydrolysates under controlled conditions. It highlights these xylose-fermenting yeasts potential to produce ethanol from biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on health care experiences, access to medical care, and use of health care services among undocumented Mexicans and other Latinos in the United States. Health interview survey was conducted in California, using a multivariate analysis to measure the association of citizenship status with health care access. The result of the study shows that undocumented Mexicans and Latinos acquire health care services lesse than their U.S.-born counterpart. The use of medical care and access to health care of undocumented immigrants tends to improve as they change their legal status.

Biodiesel production from Mucor circinelloides biomass was investigated by conventional method involving the lipid extraction using ethanol followed by transesterification (two-step process) in comparison with directly producing from the whole biomass without extraction (one-step process). Both processes used solid heteropolyacid catalyst (12-molybdophosphoric acid (H 3 PMo 12 O 40 ) support on alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) under conditions previously set up (200 °C for 4 h). Either one or two-step process was able to convert the microbial lipids into ethyl esters (FAEE) with high yields (97%), though the former simplifies the production process due to the elimination of an oil extraction step that incurs oil loss. Moreover, to minimize the energy used for dewatering, this method can be also used for transesterification of wet M. circinelloides biomass. Direct transesterification of wet biomass greatly simplifies the process of FAEE production by eliminating the drying and oil extraction steps, making this a renewable and environmental friendly process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] TLS permit to attain conductivity and thermal diffusivity of biofuels. [•] Diffusivities and viscosities were correlated to attain oil/ biodiesel Pr numbers. [•] Thermal diffusivity changed as a function of iodine index value. [•] Thermal diffusivity of biofuels is important to modeling combustion problems. [•] TLS is unconventional tool to qualify the quality of biodiesel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moisture adsorption isotherms from a new biscuit considered as functional food were determined using a gravimetric static method at 25 and 40C and over a range of relative humidity from 0.112 to 0.903. The biscuit had 2.5, 3.3, 10.0 and 31.0% of ash, fiber, protein and fat, respectively, and 4.7% moisture content. The equilibrium moisture content of the biscuit (kg/kg) increased when the storage temperature at any given water activity (A w) was reduced. The experimental data were analyzed using different models, namely Guggenheim–Anderson–de Boer (GAB) (three-parameter relationships), Henderson and Oswin (both models with two parameters), which exhibited a sigmoid shape at the studied temperatures. The maximum isosteric heat of sorption was 21.6 kJ/mol, which exponentially decreased when the moisture content was increased. The GAB model was found to be the most suitable for describing the adsorption characteristics at the temperature and A w range studied, according to the relative error and the coefficient determination. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This article describes the characterization of moisture adsorption behavior of a new biscuit considered as functional food. In general, the sorption behaviors of several foods have been studied extensively; nevertheless, a reduced number of published articles about biscuit sorption isotherms are found in the literature. The experimental data reported in this article may be important for the scientific community of the food science and technology. Isosteric heat of sorption is important for the determination of the binding strength of water to the food, as well as the amount of water present in the food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Candida rugosa lipase was immobilized by covalent binding on hybrid matrix of polysiloxane–polyvinyl alcohol chemically modified with different activating agents as glutaraldehyde, sodium metaperiodate and carbonyldiimidazole. The experimental results suggested that functional activating agents render different interactions between enzyme and support, producing consequently alterations in the optimal reaction conditions. Properties of the immobilized systems were assessed and their performance on hydrolytic and synthetic reactions were evaluated and compared with the free enzyme. In hydrolytic reactions using p-nitrophenyl palmitate as substrate all immobilized systems showed higher thermal stability and optima pH and temperature values in relation to the free lipase. Among the activating compounds, carbonyldiimidazole resulted in a total recovery of activity on the support and the highest thermal stability. For the butyl butyrate synthesis, the best performance (molar conversion of 95% and volumetric productivity of 2.33gL−1 h−1) was attained with the lipase immobilized on POS–PVA activated with sodium metaperiodate. The properties of the support and immobilized derivatives were also evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopies and chemical composition (FTIR). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]