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Apple cubes were subjected to vacuum impregnation using grape juice concentrate. The effect of pressure reduction (VP = 100–500 mmHg), immersion time (t = 10–30 min), and concentration of grape juice (C = 40–60°Brix) on impregnation parameters were evaluated using response surface methodology. Second-order polynomial equations were developed (R2 > 0.895) to describe the behavior of water loss, total soluble solids, L* , a* , Hue , total color difference, the color of impregnated/treated areas (A U / A OP), antioxidant activity, total monomeric anthocyanin, and dimensionless volume (V/V o) in the impregnated product. VP had a significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on mass transfer parameters, color parameters, A U / A OP, and bioactive compounds. However, at 60°Brix and 500 mmHg, the lower V/V o values were reached due to cell disruption. Therefore, it is recommended to use a VP = 500 mmHg and t less than 20 min to significantly impregnate compounds and obtain a product without considerable morphometric modification. • Impregnation with grape juice concentrate increase bioactive compounds in apple. • Analysis of apple tissue staining allows mass transfer parameters evaluation. • Response surface models adequately describe apples' mass transfer characteristics. • Image processing was used to analyze staining of apple tissue during impregnation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tin oxide synthesis and characterization were studied in the present work in order to evaluate its catalytic activity in the reaction of methyl ricinoleate from castor oil. Oxide is obtained through the controlled precipitation method, and significant advantages are obtained when using water solutions of SnCl2.2H2O as precursor. Its characterization was done using the techniques DTA, TGA, XRD, finding that in order to have high performance for the cassiterite system the optimum pH value was 6,25 whereas a pH of 8.0 was leading to the romarchite system. When using SEM techniques and a surface area, the size of the particle found was below 50 nm with a surface area of 19 m²/g. The ricinoleate ester was obtained from the oil using sodium methylate as catalyst and then making it react with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant agent and tin oxide to produce an epoxide. Finally, reaction products are identified through gas chromatography finding that tin oxides are active for obtaining epoxides with better performance of the romarchite crystal system (SnO) especially towards the methyl-12-hydroxi-9, 10-epoxioctadecanote (MHEOD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red mangrove ( Rhizophora mangle) dominates in tidally active areas of neotropical mangrove forests. Despite the ecological and economic importance of this species, we still know little about the genetic structure and diversity of its natural populations. In particular, Nicaraguan populations have not yet been investigated although they could be important for a better understanding of the evolutionary history of R. mangle in Mesoamerica. The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic and morphological variability of 4 populations sampled along the northwestern coast of Nicaragua. Microsatellite analysis showed higher levels of allelic diversity (30 alleles and a mean number of allele per locus per population = 6.42) than reported for the same species in other sites of tropical America. This variability could be attributed to the existence of a glacial refugium in the studied area and/or to repeated introgression among closely related species. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that there was little but significant variation among the sampled sites suggesting that the studied populations cannot be considered as a single panmictic group, although they are closely related. This result was confirmed by the Bayesian analysis and UPGMA dendrogram showing three genetically distinct clusters. Bayesian analysis of migration rates showed that propagule dispersion associated with marine currents is an important factor shaping the observed genetic structure. The scatterplot from discriminant analysis indicated significant phenotypic differences between two groups, mainly related to specific leaf area variation. The morphological similarity between PR and PO was consistent with the results of molecular analysis, supporting the common origin of these two populations. Nevertheless, we did not find a significant statistical correlation between microsatellite and morphological data. In conclusion, the results reported here contribute to a better understanding of R. mangle genetic structure and would provide baseline information to guide land managers in implementing conservation initiatives in Nicaragua. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article builds on a comprehensive dataset for Peru that merges municipal fiscal accounts with information about municipalities' characteristics such as population, poverty, education, and local politics to analyze the leading factors affecting the ability of municipalities to execute the allocated budget. According to the existing literature and the Peruvian context, we divide these factors into four categories: the budget size and allocation process; local capacity; local needs; and political economy constraints. While we do find that all four factors affect decentralization, the largest determinant of spending ability is the adequacy of the budget with respect to local capacity. The results confirm the need for decentralization to be implemented gradually over time in parallel with strong capacity building efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of BIOAGRO is the property of Revista BIOAGRO and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of BIOAGRO is the property of Revista BIOAGRO and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although both C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5)- and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4)-using HIV-1 strains cause AIDS, the emergence of CXCR4-utilizing variants is associated with an accelerated decline in CD4 + T cells. It remains uncertain if CXCR4-using viruses hasten disease or if these variants only emerge after profound immunological damage. We show that exclusively CXCR4- as compared to cocirculating CCR5-utilizing variants are less sensitive to neutralization by both contemporaneous autologous plasma and plasma pools from individuals that harbor only CCR5-using HIV-1. The CXCR4-utilizing variants, however, do not have a global antigenic change because they remain equivalently susceptible to antibodies that do not target coreceptor binding domains. Studies with envelope V3 loop directed antibodies and chimeric envelopes suggest that the neutralization susceptibility differences are potentially influenced by the V3 loop. In vitro passage of a neutralization sensitive CCR5-using virus in the presence of autologous plasma and activated CD4 + T cells led to the emergence of a CXCR4-utilizing virus in 1 of 3 cases. These results suggest that in some but not necessarily all HIV-1 infected individuals humoral immune pressure against the autologous virus selects for CXCR4-using variants, which potentially accelerates disease progression. Our observations have implications for using antibodies for HIV-1 immune therapy.

Copyright of Revista CienciaUAT is the property of Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Highlights: [•] Good performance for the elimination of the different DOM fractions. [•] The oxidation mechanisms play an important role in the elimination of DOM fractions. [•] The molecular mechanism in ozonation leads to the accumulation of LMM acids. [•] UV/H2O2 results in an effluent composed of all low molar mass fractions and humics. [•] Interpretation of SUVA data fails to diagnose the depletion of humic substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peru is a country that has great biodiversity and huge environmental problems. It also has a growing population of evangelicals, some in rural communities close to important conservation areas. In this communication, I describe how I encourage evangelical groups to participate in creation care, providing both reasons and paths for creation care and responses to opposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sistemas & Telemática is the property of Universidad ICESI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud is the property of Centro de Estudiso Avanzados en Ninez y Juventud alaianza Cinde, Universidad de Manizales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ginecología y Obstetricia de México is the property of Federacion Mexicana de Ginecologia y Obstetricia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cirugía y Cirujanos is the property of Publicidad Permanyer SLU and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An individual's ability to metabolize certain drugs depends on multiple factors, including its genetic profile. Patients with altered expression of certain enzymes can have an decreased or increased clearance of the administered drug, causing therapeutic failure, risk of intoxication or adverse effects. It has been reported that most pharmaceutical drugs are effective in a range from 25% to 60%. The aim of this article is to define fundamental aspects of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics, addressing particular cases such as the metabolism of the thiopurine-methyl-transferase-enzyme and the CYP2C19 hepatic microsomal system and present results about the metabolism of proton pump inhibitors, generated by our group. It is stated that pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics are new fields of study, which are constantly evolving. We consider noteworthy for the doctor to know a patient's genotype because there is a variation in the metabolism of certain drugs depending on the studied population. Therefore, a global treatment for a given disease can not be generalized. This highlights the importance of a tailored-based pharmacological therapy in order to prescribe the treatment at optimal doses, improving the patient's quality of life and clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research work presents an analysis of the traffic on a LAN segment heading to model its behavior and the generation of similar results by using a traffic simulation tool. To achieve this, datagrams are collected from servers supporting commonly used protocols such as SMTP1 and HTTP2. The datagrams are then used to determine the degree of self-similarity of the network segment and its probabilistic characteristics. Different tests are used for each case. Once the network segment model is obtained, a simulation tool is used to get a similar traffic environment to the real network traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lumped-network finite-difference time-domain (LN-FDTD) technique is an extension of the conventional FDTD method that enables the incorporation of linear one-port LNs in a single FDTD cell. This paper studies the stability and the numerical dispersion of this technique. To this end, an isotropic medium that is uniformly loaded with LNs in the x-direction is considered as a working model. The stability analysis, based on the von Neumann method, is performed for general Mth-order LNs and closed-form stability conditions are derived for some particular cases. The numerical dispersion relation is obtained for plane-wave propagation in the proposed LN-loaded medium. It is shown that LNs can be interpreted in terms of an effective frequency-dependent permittivity and, as a consequence, the LN-loaded medium can be viewed as a uniaxial medium. The numerical admittance of the LNs is also obtained showing that, as a side-effect of the time discretization, the LN parameters become frequency-dependent, e.g. for the resistor case, the resistance becomes a function of the frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical dispersion analysis of the alternating-direction implicit finite-difference time-domain method for transverse-electric waves in lossy materials is presented. Two different finite-difference approximations for the conduction terms are considered: the double-average and the synchronized schemes. The numerical dispersion relation is derived in a closed form and validated through numerical simulations. This study shows that, despite its popularity, the accuracy of the double-average scheme is sensitive to how well the relaxation-time constant of the material is resolved by the time step. Poor resolutions lead to unacceptably large numerical errors. On the other hand, for good conductors, the synchronized scheme allows stability factors as large as 100 to be used without deteriorating the accuracy significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An antioxidant therapy based on vitamin E and selenium subcutaneous (sc) injections administered prior to and after parturition, was evaluated by measuring the incidence of uterine pathologies and fertility in lactating Holstein cows. Cows (n = 353) were randomly distributed into three groups: Group pre-postpartum (n = 122), cows received a sc injection of 50 mg Se and 680 IU vitamin E (10 mL of Mu-Se) on 60 and 21 days prepartum and 30 and 90 days postpartum; Group prepartum (n = 117) received a sc injection 21 days prior to parturition; control Group (n = 114), cows received sc injections of saline solution (SS, 10 mL) on 60 and 21 days prepartum and 30 and 90 days postpartum. Incidence of retained fetal membranes (RFM) in control Group (20.1%) was similar (P > 0.05) to prepartum Group (12.8%), but it differed (P < 0.05) from pre-postpartum Group (6.5%). The percentage of cows with haemorrhagic metritis (HM) was similar among groups (8.7%; P > 0.05). Proportion of cows with purulent metritis (PM) in control Group (37.7%) was similar (P > 0.05) to prepartum Group (33.3%), but reduced (P < 0.05) in pre-postpartum Group (23.7%). The global proportion of cows showing any of the evaluated pathologies was similar (P > 0.05) for control groups (44.7%) and prepartum Group (40.1%) but lower (P < 0.05) for pre-postpartum Group (27%). Pregnancy rate at 150 days postpartum (PP) was greater (P < 0.08) for pre-postpartum Group (70%) than control Group (58.9%). In conclusion, an antioxidant therapy based on vitamin E and selenium administration, 60 and 21 days prior to parturition and 30 and 90 days after parturition, reduces the incidence of uterine pathologies and improves pregnancy rate at 150 days postpartum in Holstein cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Veterinaria México is the property of Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia UNAM and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A single dose of bovine somatotrophin (bST) given at the time of insemination improves conception rate (CR) in repeat-breeding cows, but there is no clear evidence that this treatment is useful in first service cows. The effect of bST applied at the time of insemination on conception rate in first service Holstein cows was evaluated. This study was conducted using 435 lactating Holstein cows from 15 dairy herds located in Tizayuca, Hidalgo. Cows were divided in two groups. The bST group (n = 185) received a subcutaneous injection of 500 mg of bST; the control group (n = 250) received 2 mL of saline solution. Insulin growth factor type I (IGF-I) and insulin concentrations were measured daily on seven randomly chosen cows of each group from the day of the bST injection until day 14 post treatment. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by rectal palpation 45 days after insemination. The effects of treatment, herd, synchronized method (spontaneous or synchronized estrus with prostaglandin F2α), parity and days in milk on conception rate were analyzed by logistic regression for binary variables. The concentrations of IGF-I and insulin were compared using ANOVA for repeated measurements. Conception rate did not varied (P > 0.05) between treatment groups [bST (36.2%) vs control (34.8%)]. There were no herd, parity, days in milk or synchronized method effects (P > 0.05) on conception rate. IGF-I and insulin were higher (P < 0.05) in the bST group than in the control group. It is concluded that a 500 mg bST injection at the time of insemination does not improve fertility in first service Holstein cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Veterinaria México is the property of Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia UNAM and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In recent years, there have been significant changes in weather patterns, mainly caused by sharp increases in temperature, increases in carbon dioxide, and fluctuations in precipitation levels, negatively impacting agricultural production. Agricultural systems are characterized by being vulnerable to the variation of biophysical and socioeconomic factors involved in the development of agricultural activities. Agent-based models (ABMs) enable the study, analysis, and management of ecosystems through their ability to represent networks and their spatial nature. In this research, an ABM is developed to evaluate the behavior and determine the vulnerability in the sugarcane agricultural system; allowing the capitalization of knowledge through characteristics such as social ability and autonomy of the modeled agents through fuzzy logic and system dynamics. The methodology used includes information networks for a dynamic assessment of agricultural risk modeled by time series, system dynamics, uncertain parameters, and experience; which are developed in three stages: vulnerability indicators, crop vulnerability, and total system vulnerability. The development of ABM, a greater impact on the environmental contingency is noted due to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions and the exponential increase in extreme meteorological phenomena threatening the cultivation of sugarcane, making the agricultural sector more vulnerable and reducing the yield of the harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Chile, the toxic dinoflagellate A. catenella shows an apparent oceanic range expansion from south to the north since its first detection in 1972 in the Magallanes Region (56° S). Until 2017, A. catenella detections were restricted to a geographic area between Magallanes to Los Rios Regions (40° S). The establishment of a monitoring program in the offshore Pacific coast allowed the detection of A. catenella between 2018 and 2019 in northern areas off the Bío-Bío Region (36°S). Monoclonal cultures established from the Bío-Bío coast were genetically identified, and PSTs screened. Phylogenetic analyses determined that the Bío-Bío isolates aggregated in Group I ribotype (previously A. tamarense or A. fundyense) and the presence of PSTs analogs were confirmed. It is the northernmost detection of the toxic dinoflagellate A. catenella in the Pacific coast of Chile. These results have important implications for species monitoring and governmental management in the Bío-Bío Region. • The detection of A. catenella off the Bío-Bío Region represents the northernmost record of this species on the Chilean coast. • Morphology and phylogeny of cultured A. catenella from the Bío-Bío coast confirmed species identification. • PSTs quantification in A. catenella isolates from the Bio-Bio region represents a potential PSP risk in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ginecología y Obstetricia de México is the property of Federacion Mexicana de Ginecologia y Obstetricia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Henoch-Shonlein syndrome (HSS) and Kawasaki disease (KD), are the commonest systemic vasculitis in childhood. There are some cases reported of visceral hemorrhagic complications, cerebral hemorrhage is rare. We presented a girl patient of 4 years old, with symptoms since 2 years of age, characterized by fever, cardiac failure associated whit myocardial ischemia, aneurysmatic dilation of both coronary arteries, echocardiography made the diagnoses of KD. Six months later, the patient complains abdominal pain and distention. At 4 years of age complain headache, right hemicorporal paresis whit a CT scan, showed frontoparietal hemorrhage. The treatment required it was surgical remotion. The outcome improves until complete recovery. Hemorrhagic complications in KD and HSS are extremely rare and involve high morbidity and mortality. Often the treatment required is only medical and conservative measures for immunologic disease. Is rare to need surgical treatment for intracerebral hemorrhage. There's no reported cases of cerebral hemorrhage with both diagnosis (KD and HSS) why the authors present this case and literature review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an extension of the original finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for modeling double-negative media characterized by high-order frequency-dependent permittivity and permeability. The approach basically consists of adding electric and magnetic current densities to Maxwell's curl equations and considering Ohm's law as a constitutive relationship. Current densities are discretized by using a weighted average in time and Ohm's law by applying the Mobius transformation technique. The extended FDTD formulation is validated and its numerical features are carefully examined. More specifically, analytical stability conditions are derived for several types of double-negative media and the numerical dissipation issue is discussed. In addition, the numerical dispersion equation for general high-order double-negative media is given and the order of accuracy of the scheme is studied. Finally, the definition of numerical refractive index is addressed and it is shown that, when the discretization parameters of the problem are not properly chosen, a negative refractive index may become a positive one in the discrete world, thus changing the physics of the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There are very few cases described in literature with carcinoid heart disease caused by a pure ovarian tumor. Right heart failure remains the major cause of morbidity and mortality. Cardiac surgery is the only definitive treatment when cardiac symptoms become severe but with high perioperative mortality rates. We present a 68-year-old woman with a pure ovarian carcinoid tumor complicated with heart disease alive 7 years later after ovarian resection, without valve replacement and with regression of tricuspid and pulmonary injury. Echocardiography was the diagnostic clue. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present an overview of the analyses performed by the two experiments at the Run II of the Tevatron searching for Higgs boson production. Especial effort has been done in the search for the Higgs boson predicted by the Standard Model. The good performance of the Tevatron would allow the experiments to be sensitive to the presence of the Higgs beyond the LEP limit by the end of Run II. In addition, analyses performed in the framework of models extending the Standard Model are already covering regions not excluded by previous experiments. Results from all these analyses and plans for the future will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work collects the results of the tests accomplished in an electrical arch furnace of 225of power kW for the obtainment of ferrochromium of high carbon from mineral of chromium of the deposit "Sorpresa" of Pinares of Mayarí. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]