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In this paper the role of peroxidases in the last step of the ethylene biosynthesis pathway, the conversion of 1-aminocyclopropane- 1-carboxylic acid, is discussed.

Triglycerides are at the same time, one of the most abundant and complex lipid fraction in the nature. For this reason, it is esential to determine their molecular species composition, as well as to know the stereospecific position in which the fatty acids are located, in order to characterize animal fats and vegetable oils. The most commonly employed technique for this objective is high-performance liquid chromatography, in general using reversed phase columns. In the present article we describe the operative conditions employed nowadays in order to achieve the optimum resolution for the triglyceride chromatographic peaks, and also the present situation of the knowledge in the separation of the molecular species of complex mixtures of triglycerides, such as milk fat, fish oil and hepatic fat, which are of importance in the industrial sector and human nutrition.

Marine species constitute a food group recognised as being easily damaged during the technological processing. Between the different damage pathways that can act on a marine food, a big attention has been given to the oxidation ability of lipids, as a result of supporting a high content on polyunsaturated fatty acids. In the present work, the role of lipid changes of a marine species on the quality degree is reviewed over the most employed technological processes (freezing and frozen storage, chilled storage, cooking, canning, drying, salting and smoking). The use of the main quality lipid indices for assessing the quality degree changes in each process is also analysed.

The oxidative rancidity is, without a doubt, the main cause of the deterioration of fats and oils, and defines the shelf life of this type of products. Therefore, the stability (resistance against oxidation) has come to be one of the factors which worry the processors the most, thus it is also one of the main quality criteria. Rancidity chemical principles, its consequences, forms to prevent and the evaluation methods will be shortly discussed. Several factors determinate the stability of fats and oils, pointing out the chemical composition and the processing conditions. All the process steps must be accomplished searching a greater stability, for which some minimal cares must be observed. Particularly important in this sense are the steps of bleaching and deodorization. The usage of antioxidants and nitrogen represent valuable tools to improve oxidative stability, mainly in oils of unfavorable characteristics and composition.

The present summary, following the tradition begun by K. Aitzetmüller with the works published from 1961 and continued by the present authors from 1975, is a compilation of articles appearing between the years given in the title; the database used was primarily Chem. Abstr. The study indicates the most frequent topics of research and the more specialised journals. The total number of works reviewed is 1680,680 more than those appearing in the previous decade. Special emphasis is given to the reviews includes. (English).

In this overview several aspects concerning the application of 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test for measuring oxidative rancidity in foods are described and discussed. Different factors like food processing, sample induced oxidation and preparation, applied methodologies and interferences, are considered. The application of the TBA test to some foods like meats, fish, eggs, milk and dairy products, cereals, infant-foods, animal fats and vegetable oils are described. Correlation between TBA index or TBA number and other oxidation indices (i.e. peroxide value) as well as sensory evaluation are also considered.

This paper is a review in which difficulties for the determination of the fatty acid stereospecific positions in the triacyl-sn-glycerol molecules of natural fats are discussed. For determining the stereospecific composition of the triacylglycerols, theoretical models for positional distribution of fatty acids in natural fats can be a useful estimation. Also, the principal methods for the stereospecific analysis by means of enzymatic analysis and high performance liquid chromatography are included. In both methods, the isolated sn-glyceridic fractions are later analysed by gas chromatography in order to know their fatty acid composition. In conclusion, combinations of several different analytical techniques such as enzymatic methods, high performance liquid chromatography, thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography can furnish valuable information to determine the stereospecific composition of the triacyl-sn-glycerols.

Advances on research, technology and applications for detergent processes increase rapidly. They keep provoking, as during last decades, repercussions on several fields (domestic, industrial, sanitary, energetic, environmental, legislative). To control as much as possible these repercussions, it is necessary to assess the actual knowledge about detergency mechanisms. This informative article starts by reviewing the essential elements for detergent processes (substrate, soil, cleaning bath). Subsequently several physico-chemical key factors for effectiveness of the textile washing are discussed. These factors are: a) removal of liquid oily soils (by rolling-up, or by spontaneous microemulsification); b) separation of solid particles (by interfacial or electrostatic interactions); c) antiredeposition effects (by solubilization, emulsification or suspension); d) water hardness influence; e) washing physical conditions (temperature, agitation, time). The article ends by establishing the necessity for maintaining close collaboration among experts on different fields to optimize both detergent processes and their repercussions.

Oxidation of food lipid components, known as oxidative rancidity is one of the major deteriorative and quality-affecting reactions. Oxidative rancidity is initiated by oxygen free-radicals or by the reaction of molecular oxygen with pre-formed organic free-radicals from polyunsaturated fatty acids composing fats and oils. Oxidation may be prevented or delayed by antioxidants, these substances being organic molecules of either synthetic or natural origin which can scavenge the oxygen free-radicals involved in fatty acid oxidation. Synthetic antioxidants are the most popular and widely used antioxidants, however concerns about it safe to both human and animal health is encouraging research on substances from natural origin showing antioxidant properties. Few natural antioxidants have been proved to be effective when compared to synthetic products in the same experimental conditions. This work summarizes the main characteristics of the most important synthetic antioxidants, also discuss the principal characteristics of four natural antioxidants, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of using natural products compared to synthetic ones, and sight the future for natural products with antioxidant activity.

Preservation of olives in brine, without sodium hidroxide treatment, leads to a fermentative process, which characteristics are diverse. The growth of microorganisms depends on the raw material (cultivars) microflora adhered to the exterior olive surface, and physico-chemical conditions. The presence of yeasts is always observed, although only a few species are systematically found. Lactic acid bacteria (cocci and lactobacilli) depends on the cultivar and the NaCI concentration (a level over 8% is inhibitory for them). The presence of Gram-negative bacteria and other spoiling germs are effectively prevented by the initial correction of brines with acetic acid up to a pH level of aprox. 4.2. Preservation by high concentrations of acetic, lactic or both acids prevents the growth of practically any microorganism. When preservation is carried set by the aerobic system, shrivelling of fruits is avoided in send sensitive cultivars.

Wherever there is a double bond in a fatty acid, there is also a possibility for isomerization. Under partial hydrogenation triacylglycerols composing oils'double bonds may change from cis to trans configuration, therefore products derived from hydrogenated oils such as margarines, shortenings and other industrial fats show high content of trans fatty acid isomers. The health implications of trans fatty acids in our diet is now a concern of controversy, because it has been demonstrated that its metabolic behaviour is as saturated fats. Trans fatty acids increase LDL-cholesterol and simultaneously decrease HDL-cholesterol, being considered both parameters as atherogenics. The oleochemical industry has developed several strategies to reduce the trans fatty acid content of hydrogenated oils, and now margarines and other hydrogenated derived products with low trans fatty acids content can be obtained from the retail market.

This review focuses on the mechanisms of formation of oxysterols and factors that influence on their formation and content in foods. Aspects of growing interest because of the numerous biological effects reported for these compounds.

Changes in the "Common Agricultural Policy" of the European Union have increased the rapeseed crops on "set-aside" lands remarkably. Rapeseed oils are transesterified with methanol to obtain fatty acid methyl esters. Blends of these esters with diesel oil are sold in petrol stations in different european countries like any other fuel. This informative article starts by reviewing basic characteristics of diesel fuel, and continues with an analysis of physical properties, chemical composition and present specifications for the rapeseed methyl esters. Subsequently several implications derived from the industrial development of this biofuel are discussed. These implications are economic (production, consumption, prices, subventions, tax exemptions), ecological (nearly zero emissions for whole cycle of carbon dioxide, other exhaust emissions from combustion, ecobalances), and energetic (complete evaluation of energy expenditure for production, energetic ratios).

The present study deals with the most recent and important studies on the relationship between transmembrane receptors with ligand-dependent tyrosine kinase activity and cellular lipid metabolism, predominantly in generating phosphatidic acid (PA) as a lipid messenger. The signaling function of phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis and diacylglycerol (DG) phosphorylation by phospholipase D and diacylglycerol kinase, respectively, as different sources for PA is also described. PA may play a role in signal transduction as a putative first or second messenger, and acts to reduce levels of DG and to produce bis-PA by phospholipase D - mediated transphosphatidylation.

The food industry has introduced chemical and enzymatic procedures for the modification of fats and oils to allow the improvement of their organoleptic and/or nutritional properties. As chemical procedures have many drawbacks, the application of enzyme technology shows as a promising approach for the development of new fats and oil-derived products. Lipase-catalyzed interesterification reactions allow the structural modification of lipids by selectively changing the composition of a triacylglycerol under very mild and controlled conditions. This work reviews the main characteristics of lipase reactions, the use of lipases for interesterification procedures, and the advantages and limitations of lipase immobilization for the enzymatic modification of fats and oils. The use of lipases from different sources for fat splitting and the potential application of stereospecific lipases for the production of structured or designer lipids is also discussed.

Certain plant properties, such as the colour, the nutritional value, the resistance to microorganisms, the pharmacologic effects and the organoleptic character, are due to the phenolic compounds. It is interesting the study of phenolic compounds from olive because they:-Inhibit Gram+ microorganisms, such as Lactobacillus, which are involved in the fermentation of the olive fruit. -Inhibit the activity of cellulases and other enzymes. -Contribute to the stability and organoleptic character of virgin olive oil. -Inhibit the effect of microorganisms involved in the anaerobic depuration of vegetation water. Thus, the phenolic compounds are the major bothersome contaminants of these wastewater. -Have pharmacologic properties (to reduce blood pressure levels). -Are natural antioxidants. In the present review we describe the composition of the phenolic compounds from the olive fruit (pulp and seed), the olive oil and its by-products (vegetation water and rape) and the olive leaves.

This article covers the studies on phytoalexins activity of phenolic compounds (cinnamic acids, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, deoxianthocyanins, stilbenes, coumarins, chromones) against fungi and bacteria. The relationship between hydrophilic-lipophilic balance activity is reported. Finally some reports on the preparation of synthetic phytoalexins sharing structural similarities with the natural ones (stilbenes, epi-catechin derivatives), of commercial interest as pesticides, insecticides and fungicides, are revised.

Customers are increasingly paying attention to fats and oils because they are strongly health related. Many points are still confusing about this, but certainly there is one that will soon become public concern: the presence of trans fatty acids in hydrogenated fats and their products. Natural fats and oils from vegetable origin lack this trans isomers. Even though the production of the trans isomers during hydrogenation is unavoidable it can be controlled and minimized. The presence of these components modify technical characteristics as well as introduce problems and alterations in health and nutritional aspects. High trans fatty acids values (up 62%) were found in Brazilian products. A relevant effect in solid content (SFC) at low temperatures was observed but no influence in the softening point. Possible nutritional and health effects related to trans fatty acids will be discussed.

As a continuation of the study of natural antioxidants, this third part deals with nitrogeneous compounds, classified in the following groups. Amino acids and proteins. Products of the Maillard reaction. Phospholipids (with choline or ethanolamine) and their heating products. Riboflavin. Chlorophylls and porphyrins. Uric acid and derivatives. Their behaviour as inhibitors of the chain reaction of prooxidant radicals, by irreversible reaction or by sequestration of those radicals, as well as their synergistic action with primary antioxidants is discussed. Finally, the patents registered during the last years for these kind of compounds, their derivatives and synergists in food and other uses are cited.

This review deals with the oxidation processes induced by light and atmospheric oxygen, as well as the protective action on antioxidant compounds. The available data on the synthetic antioxidants and the problems associated to their use, together with the presence of natural phenolic antioxidants in plants, have been revised. These phenolic antioxidants have been classified in families: phenolic alcohols and acids, cinnamic acids, coumarins, favonoids (flavones and isoflavones, flavonols, flavanones) and other phenolic compounds.

A review is made on the literature conceming the lipid composition of two fish belonging to PERCIFORMES order, Gempylidae family, Ruvettus pretiosus and Lepidocybium flavobrunneum. The lipid fraction is principally composed of wax esters (esters of fatty acid with long chain fatty alcohols), as well as phospholipids, triglycerides, hydrocarbons and sterols. The lipid extracted from these fish is traditionally used in consideration of its purgative properties in fishing villages from islands like Canarias. In Japanese markets, this fish can be found as a fraudulent substitute of other edible fish. It seems that the toxic-laxative properties are due to the large amount of wax esters in its lipid fraction.

The benefits ascribed to marine oils rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids has led to efforts to improve the chemical and organoleptic characteristics of these oils and to develop procedures for the obtention of pure or highly concentrated fractions of some n-3 fatty acids. Two n-3 fatty acids are of main interest; the eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5, EPA) and the docosahexaenoic acid (022:6, DHA). The present review is referred to the identification of the main sources of marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and to the stabilization of these fatty acids against oxidative rancidity. In addition the procedures for the obtention of EPA and DHA concentrates and the utilization of these fatty acids for nutritional or pharmacological purposes are also discussed.

Different topics dealing with vegetable products fermentation, from manufacturing to microorganisms, and their growth factors, are reviewed. The main pathways for sugar metabolism and degradation reactions of organic and amino acids are described, as well as their influence on sensorial characteristics of the final product. A thorough research on several areas is considered mandatory, in order to increase the value of fermented vegetable foods.

In spite of the large number of publications about lipoxygenase, little definitive information is available concerning physiological roles for plant lipoxygenase. There are three major areas of plant physiology where lipoxygenase has been mainly implicated: 1) growth and development, 2) senescence, and 3) wound response and pest resistance. This section summarizes results from the areas of investigation which are most likely to elucidate the role of lipoxygenase in higher plants.

One of the methods for food flavor evaluation is the analysis of volatile components. First step in this kind of analysis Is the isolation and concentration of volatiles. A review is carried out about different techniques applied in foods and especially in vegetable oils. Very different methods have been used, an explication of each one with its different cases are presented. Likewise the applications carried out in vegetable oils during last years are discussed.

The characteristics of olive mill wastewater are set out the viewpoint of their pollutant capacity and the problems arising from their tipping in olive-growing areas. The national administration's solutions for preventing pollutions of surface waters are also stated. Special detail is given to the action taken within a research and development program financed by the Spanish Government and the EEC through the Commission MEDSPA 89 for the technical-economic evaluation of different systems for eliminating and treating olive mill wastewater, in order to determine the feasibility of their introduction at industrial level. At the same time the systems currently under evaluation are described: - Intensification of natural evaporation from olive mill wastewater stored in ponds (two systems). - Physical processes using forced evaporation to eliminate the olive mill wastewater, followed by aerobic biological processes or systems of ultrafiltration and inverse osmosis for final treatment of the condensate (two systems). - Application of physico-chemical processes to eliminate the greater part of the organic components of the olive mill wastewaters and the use of aerobic biological processes or systems of ultrafiltration and inverse osmosis for final treatment of the clarified fraction (three systems). - Biological process for the complete treatment of the olive mill wastewaters by the successive application of processes: bioconversion, biomethanisation, aerobic treatment, and physico-chemical treatment. Treatment yields of the order of 99,6% are achieved, at the same time obtaining by-products of commercial interest (one system).

The nutritional and toxicological consequences of oxidizing lipid-protein interactions are reviewed in this part. Influence on protein quality and on the availability and metabolic transit of several amino acids as measured in animal assays are used to discuss the real importance of these reactions.

This part reviews the mechanisms of oxidizing lipid-protein interactions. Hydrophobic interactions, radical reactions and formation of covalent compounds with secondary products of lipid oxidation are described.

The family Euphorbiaceae includes a huge number of species some of which provide important raw materials such as rubber, cassava, waxes and oils. In this study, the general botanical and chemical characteristics of this family are described firstly together with the chemical composition of their seed oils and a comparison with those of other families. Secondly, other chemical constituents of economic interest are reviewed and compared with the species already used for food, industry and medicine purposes. A further revision is included on some of its genus with potential interest and on current industrial oil crops such as Ridnus, Euphorbia, Aleurites, Sapium, Jatropha, etc. Finally, from an economic point of view, future prospects of some of these oils as raw materials for the chemical industry are given.

Radical chemistry of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This part summarizes the mechanisms of lipid oxidation. The compounds that react with proteins are specially discussed.

Although all the cells in the body are able to form cholesterol, most part of this synthesis, leading to which is called endogenous cholesterol, occurs in the liver. Hepatocytes can also obtain cholesterol from the plasma lipoproteins. At the same time, cholesterol is either secreted from the liver in new plasma lipoproteins or transformed in bile acids. The extrahepatic cholesterol is mainly produced in the intestinal mucosa. In the site, it takes place the absorption of cholesterol from the diet (exogenous cholesterol), along with the biosynthesis of new cholesterol and the esterification of the molecule to be stored in the cell or secreted as plasma lipoproteins. At the cellular level, the importance of cholesterol comes from the fact that many of the membranous structures of all cells are partially composed of these substance. In this article some of these aspects of the cholesterol metabolism are reviewed. We also describe the influence of lipid composition of microsomal membranes on the activity of cholesterol metabolism regulating enzymes.

Resistant starch (RS), the dietary starch that scape digestion in the small intestine, can yields up to 20% of the starch in cereal and legume products. Several fractions contribute to the total RS of foods: retrograded amylose, starch inaccessible to digestive enzymes because of mechanical barriers, chemically modified starch fragments, undigested starch due to α-amylase inhibitors and starch complexed with other food components. RS is formed in products processed following heat treatments (baking, extrusion, autoclaving, etc.). RS produces significant fecal bulking and is partially fermentable by anaerobic bacteria of the colon. On the other hand, the relation of resistant starch with the glucose and insulin response in human subjects is an important nutritional effect. RS analytical methods are reported.

The enzymes of the lipoxygenase pathway in plant foods are reviewed. This part analyzes the enzymes related to the descomposition or transformation of the lipidic hydroperoxides. Lipoxygenase, hydroperoxide lyase, enal isomerase, alcohol dehydrogenase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, hydroperoxide dehydrase, alene oxide ciclase and 12-Oxo-phytodienoic acid reductase in plants are described. Posible control mechanisms of the lipoxygenase pathway are also considered.

The enzymes of the lipoxygenase pathway in plant foods are reviewed. This part analyzes the enzymes related to the formation of the lipidic hydroperoxides. Lipases and lipoxygenases in plant foods are described.

A bibliographical review of the extraction, composition properties and applications of shea butter is made.

A review was made on the general principles in which the technology of pickled and fermented vegetable products is based, as well as a description of the industrial procedures which have reached a wider diffusion in international trade. Fundamental lines to orient research on other vegetable products, which show a certain interest to spread the pickling industry, were defined, and their basic objectives were established: a) knowledge of the chemical composition of the raw material; b) study of the natural sequence of the microorganisms which are responsible for the process; c) selection of the suitable varieties of the product; and d) establishment of the optimum harvesting time.

We make a bibliographical review on the main aspects related to the cholesterol oxidation products, including their biological effects, their presence and formation in food and their analytical determination.

This paper aims to analyze the online transparency of Spanish higher education institutions and examine the factors that explain the degree of online transparency achieved by these institutions. To this end, this paper analyses the institutional websites of all Spanish universities and develops a global transparency index comprising of four dimensions (“E-information”, “E-Services”, “E-Participation” and “Navigability, Design and Accessibility”). This paper evidences that Spanish universities are aware of the importance of having a web page with adequate navigability, design and accessibility. In contrast, the “E-information” is the least valued dimension, particularly concerning the disclosure about Community services and Outcomes of teaching services. Moreover, the results show that internationality, leverage and size positively affect the online transparency in Spanish universities. From a practical point of view, our findings could be used by university’ managers, regulators and standard-setting bodies to improve the online transparency in universities.

This paper discusses supplicatory liturgical processions (litae) and their routes in eleventh-century Constantinople by examining a hitherto neglected source; the eleventh-century Praxapostolos Dresden A104. References to supplicatory processions found in this source are examined in comparison with one of the most important sources on Byzantine ceremonial: the tenth-century kanonarion-synaxarion known as the Typikon of the Great Church. By comparing the evidence relating to the use of sites within the city during commemorations that included a procession in these two sources it is possible to draw some conclusions in terms of the way the litanic landscape changed between the tenth and eleventh centuries. The paper aims to present new evidence relating to the way annually commemorative processions were performed in Byzantine Constantinople.

The environmental problems associated with the construction sector have promoted the worldwide scientific community to pay attention to the use of recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste. SciMAT and VOSviewer bibliometric tools have been applied in order to analyse, quantify and visualise the conceptual and social aspects of this scientific field, as well as its evolution between 1973 and 2019. The study of 843 scientific papers in this field has shown that the most important thematic area has been Recycling. In general, the common objective of the published papers was to study the efficient use of resources contained in construction and demolition waste due to their treatment to produce recycled aggregates, particularly for use in concrete. Likewise, some lacks have been observed in other areas of the analysed field, e.g. the use recycled aggregates in applications subject to less demanding regulations (mortars, precast concrete products, or green roofs).

Vegetable oil phospholipids can be divided into hydratable phospholipids (HP) and non-hydratable phospholipids (NHP). The general process of alkali refining or hydration degumming can remove most of the phospholipids, and the rest is mainly non-hydratable phospholipids. A non-hydratable phospholipid has obvious hydrophobicity, which cannot be completely removed even after 16 times of washing, so the non-hydratable phospholipid is the main research target of vegetable oil degumming. In order to better understand and study the non-hydratable phospholipids, the chemical composition and origin of non-hydratable phospholipids in vegetable oil are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of these various detection and removal methods are analyzed in this paper.

This paper evaluates the use of the concept of dedifferentiation in Neves’s and Mascareño’s work. These authors assume that Grundrechte’s findings can be integrated into Luhmann’s autopoietic systems theory without any contradictions. However, this is not fully supported by Luhmann’s texts. In Neves’s work, dedifferentiation arises from corrupt practices and the distortion or breakdown of the separation of powers. In Mascareño’s theory, stratificatory and reciprocity networks intervene in the operativity of functional systems, causing the disappointment of expectations. We suggest that theories based on the concept of dedifferentiation ignore the Ebenendifferezierung and wrongly assign all of an organization’s operations to a functional system. This omission leads the authors to conclude that interactional or organizational level phenomena result in functional systems undergoing dedifferentiation. According to Bora, dedifferentiation can be defined as a shift in the systemic reference during individual communication episodes.

This paper presents an experimental study on a set of 30 specimens, tested on three-point bending, divided into two categories. With the insertion of geogrids and cathodic emulsions, the first category consists of 14 prismatic beams and the second of 16 pre-cracked and reinforced slab specimens. In situ tests were carried out using a heavy deflectometer (HWD) on a flexible runway of an airfield located in the city of Ouragla (800 km south-east of Algiers), before and after its reinforcement. This work showed, with a numerical calibration, that the geogrid with emulsion, improves the displacements and the stresses approximately 30% and increases the modulus of elasticity and the modulus of rupture (MOR) by 60% and 20%, respectively. The damping coefficient (k) can reach the value of 2 to 5, which increases the longevity of a reinforced flexible pavement.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of a crystallizing chemical admixture on precast micro concretes with two water contents (7% and 11%, by dried mass) and two different conditions of exposure. Thus, precast micro concretes with a composition of 1:3 (cement: fines) with and without crystalline chemical admixture were evaluated on compressive strength (at the age of 28 and 154 days) and water absorption by immersion (at the age of 154 days). Statistical analysis showed that the only significant factor was the effect of the water content on the compressive strength. Besides that, the most significant factors for the water absorption and voids index properties were the water content, followed by the exposure conditions, and the interaction between the water content and the presence of the chemical admixture. The crystalline admixture was insignificant in the conditions of this research.

The paper analyses the degradation process of commercial ultramarine blue pigments in cementitious materials. For this purpose, two commercial pigments (with and without a protective coating) in different solutions and cement pastes are studied incrementally. The results show that pigment degradation occurs due to an ion exchange phenomenon; during hydration high ion contents are released, calcium and potassium being the most aggressive for the pigment. Calcium distorts the unit cell; between the sodium of the pigment and the potassium in the medium a cation exchange phenomenon takes place. Both processes lead to the diffusion of sulphate and sulphide ions from the pigment to the medium causing loss of colour and the formation of ettringite.

The use of industrial waste and/or by-products as alternative sources of raw materials in building materials has become standard practice. The result, more sustainable construction, is contributing to the institution of a circular economy. Nonetheless, all necessary precautions must be taken to ensure that the inclusion and use of such materials entail no new health hazard for people or their environment. Due to the processes involved in generating industrial waste/by-products, these alternative or secondary materials may be contaminated with heavy metals, other undesirable chemicals or high levels of natural radioactivity that may constrain their use. In-depth and realistic research on such industrial waste is consequently requisite to its deployment in building materials. This paper reviews the basic concepts associated with radioactivity and natural radioactivity, focusing on industrial waste/by-products comprising Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) used in cement and concrete manufacture. Updated radiological data are furnished on such waste (including plant fly ash, iron and steel mill slag, bauxite and phosphogypsum waste) and on other materials such as limestone, gypsum and so on. The paper also presents recent findings on radionuclide activity concentrations in Portland cements and concretes not bearing NORMs. The role of natural aggregate in end concrete radiological behaviour is broached. The radiological behaviour of alternative non-portland cements and concretes, such as alkali-activated materials and geopolymers, is also addressed.

This paper reviews the way in which Spanish agriculture climbed onto the pesticide treadmill. We claim that Fascist policies and expert advice assembled in the early 1940s accelerated the introduction of pesticides into Spanish agriculture and promoted the emergence of the Spanish pesticide industry in the times of autarky. Agricultural engineers were the key protagonists in this process, but other human and non-human actors also played a pivotal role: a new pest (the Colorado beetle), Francoist politicians, farmers, landowners and industry managers. Our focus is on the use of pesticides against the Colorado beetle (the main threat to the potato crop), and the transition from arsenical pesticides to DDT during the 1940s. We discuss how the politics of autarky offered new opportunities for developing agronomic programmes and the chemical industry and led to the creation of the Register of Pesticides in 1942. We also discuss the role of these regulations in concealing the risks of pesticides from farmers and food consumers. Arsenic pesticides became sources of slow poisoning and tools for social control while reinforcing the alliance of agricultural engineers and Fascist politicians in their autarkic and authoritarian projects. When DDT arrived in Spain, the agricultural engineers praised the low toxicity it had demonstrated (compared to lead arsenate) in its first uses in public health and in military campaigns in Italy. Indeed, the data concerning its potential dangers disappeared from view thanks in part to a large multimedia campaign launched to promote the introduction of the new organic pesticides in Spanish agriculture, which is described at the end of the paper.

This paper explores the representation of political powers in the front-page illustrations of Early Modern Spanish newspapers. The knowledge about Early Modern European journalism has undergone a remarkable development in recent decades: however, research on the form of the first newspapers is scarce. The paper presents a corpus of 162 news pamphlets and gazettes published in Seville between 1618 and 1635. An analysis follows considering the presence of engravings on the cover page and their classification. This insight leads to the conclusion that the image did not play a decisive role to draw the attention of readers, even in sensationalist news pamphlets. The illustration is used not to present the events narrated but to stress the genre of the print; about half of the corpus prints have a cover engraving that reproduces a coat of arms, associated with the monarchical power in two thirds of the news sheets: Spanish journalism experienced a growing officialization, prior to the appearance of the first official newspaper of the kingdom, Gazeta Nueva (1661). Also, a small group of news sheets with ecclesiastical or nobiliary coat of arms reveals the interest of local powers in the flourishing of the journalistic market