Search

Social bee colonies can allocate their foraging resources over a large spatial scale, but how they allocate foraging on a small scale near the colony is unclear and can have implications for understanding colony decision-making and the pollination services provided. Using a mass-foraging stingless bee, Scaptotrigona pectoralis (Dalla Torre) (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini), we show that colonies will forage near their nests and allocate their foraging labor on a very fine spatial scale at an array of food sources placed close to the colony. We counted the foragers that a colony allocated to each of nine feeders containing 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 M sucrose solution [31, 43, and 55% sucrose (wt/wt), respectively] at distances of 10, 15, and 20 m from the nest. A significantly greater number of foragers (2.6-5.3 fold greater) visited feeders placed 10 vs. 20 m away from the colony. Foraging allocation also corresponded to food quality. At the 10-m feeders, 4.9-fold more foragers visited 2.0 M as compared to 1.0 M sucrose feeders. Colony forager allocation thus responded to both differences in food distance and quality even when the travel cost was negligible compared to normal colony foraging distances (10 m vs. an estimated 800-1 710 m). For a nearby floral patch, this could result in unequal floral visitation and pollination.

Objective: Identify the optimal conditions of polyols synthesis from poultry fat by epoxidation and hydrolysis in situ. Design/methodology/approach: Using a statistical design of response surface Box-Behnken type was evaluated the effect of the factors temperature (60, 70 and 80 °C), catalyst (1, 2 and 3 % w/w), molar ratio double bonds:acetic acid (1: 1, 1: 1.5 and 1: 2) and time (4, 6 and 8 h), on the acid index of polyols synthesized. Results: The FTIR spectra indicated that in mild reaction conditions epoxide groups (827 cm-1) are generated while in severe reaction conditions the formation of OH groups is favored. Therefore, the optimal conditions for the generation of polyol were: 80 °C, 3% w/w catalyst (H2SO4), molar ratio double bonds:acetic acid 1:2 and reaction time of 8 h, obtaining a maximum percentage of 78% acidity index, and hydroxyl number of 74 mg KOH/g. Limitations on study/implications: The removal of the acid medium and water in the reaction was a challenge in polyols with higher acidity index. Findings/conclusions: The method used of fat extraction, allows to obtain raw material that meets the characteristics to perform the reaction of epoxidation and hydrolysis in a single step to obtain polyol. The most severe conditions of temperature, catalyst concentration, molar ratio of double bonds: acetic acid and reaction time, allowed to obtain the greatest amount of polyol from poultry fat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current search for products that are friendly to the environment, the intent is to reduce the use of domestic, food and industrial waste of mineral origin, thereby creating new products that are functional in industrial and agricultural processes. That is why the use of raw chicken skin fat was evaluated for the creation of a biolubricant with possible applications in the operation of heavy machinery, such as agricultural tractors. The acute toxicity of the biolubricant made from transesterified fatty acids obtained from chicken skin fat was determined experimentally, using bioassays with Eisenia fetida as a test organism, by means of the median lethal concentration (LC50) using the probit method (p < 0.05) on the filter paper at 48 h and on an artificial substrate at 14 days, resulting in an LC50 of 878.675 mg mL−1 or 0.0268 mg cm−2 and 35.2348 mg kg−1, respectively. Likewise, the physiological damage was determined by means of histology, and it could be observed that there was no damage on the Eisenia fetida cell tissue. This indicates that the biolubricant is suitable for use in agricultural machinery since, in the event of an accidental spill, it does not cause damage to the soil or the organisms that live in it, as well as to the people who handle this type of product in their daily work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of Beauveria bassiana (Bb 1205) on controlling Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol 17108) in tomato plants in greenhouse conditions. Inoculation of Bb 1205 was the most promising among the agronomic variables and expression of the activity of the enzymes β-1,3-glucanases and chitinases. Inoculation of Bb 1205 occurred at a concentration of 1 × 108 conidia·mL−1, which was administered onto the leaves, directly into the soil and via injection. Infection with Fol 17108 occurred with 1 × 106 spores·mL−1, which were added directly to the soil. Spectrophotometry was used for measuring agronomic parameters, namely activity of chitinases and β-1,3-glucanases in foliage and roots. When Bb 1205 was added to the soil, the chlorophyll index and aerial part length showed significant differences. In addition, it was determined that root length, fresh weight of foliage, flower, and fruit count increased 82 days after inoculation (dai). Chitinase activity induced by Bb 1205 in leaves and roots of tomato plants infected with Fol 17108 was observed when injected into the stem at 32 dai (41.8 and 11.6-fold, respectively). Inoculation on the foliage showed a 10-fold increase of β-1,3-glucanases in the roots after 82 dpi. As for leaves, a 3.8-fold increase was found when the stem was inoculated. In the different in vivo applications, Bb 1205 activated its defenses by expressing the chitinase enzymes and β-1,3-glucanase, thus reducing the damage caused by Fol 17108, demonstrating increase plant growth thereafter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A eutectic mixture of L‐menthol and malonic acid, Me/MA (4 : 1), was characterized by calorimetry and other physical measurements. The new deep eutectic solvent (m.p. 6 °C) solvates 338 mg of ibuprofen per mL, and the solution is stable in a wide temperature range. Strategies of NMR titration used in supramolecular chemistry were employed to explore binding forces between the eutectic constituents as well as solute‐solvent interaction in ibuprofen solution. Even in acetonitrile, Me4MA is formed through a hydrogen‐bonding network, where the constituents act as hydrogen donors and acceptors at the same time. The estimated association constant is around 30 M−1; the binding forces are enough to build the eutectic mixture at high concentrations. The aggregate Me4MA forms a molecular complex with ibuprofen in acetonitrile as a result of the cooperative effect of the constituents. In addition, van der Waals interactions are operative between ibuprofen and menthol in the saturated IB‐Me/MA (4 : 1) solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood-decay fungi are characterized by ligninolytic and hydrolytic enzymes that actthrough non-specific oxidation and hydrolytic reactions. The objective of this work was to evaluatethe production of lignocellulolytic enzymes from collected fungi and to analyze their growth onlignocellulosic material. The study considered 18 species isolated from collections made in the stateof Chiapas, Mexico, identified by taxonomic and molecular techniques, finding 11 different families.The growth rates of each isolate were obtained in culture media with African palm husk (PH), coffeehusk (CH), pine sawdust (PS), and glucose as control, measuring daily growth with images analyzedin ImageJ software, finding the highest growth rate in the CH medium. The potency index (PI)of cellulase, xylanase, and manganese peroxidase (MnP) activities was determined, as well as thequantification of lignin peroxidase (LiP), with the strainsPhlebiopsis flavidoalbaTecNM-ITTG L20-19andPhanerochaete sordidaTecNM-ITTG L32-1-19 being the ones with the highest PI of hydrolaseactivities with 2.01 and 1.83 cellulase PI and 1.95 and 2.24 xylanase PI, respectively, whilePhlebiopsisflavidoalbaTecNM-ITTG L20-19 andTrametes sanguineaTecNM-ITTG L14-19 with 7115 U/L LiPactivity had the highest oxidase activities, indicating their ability to oxidize complex molecules suchas lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coffee processing agro-industry generates large quantities of wastewater requiring systematic treatment prior to disposal. For this reason, the aim of this study was to evaluate the hydraulic retention times (HRT) in treatment of coffee processing wastewater (CPWW) using a laboratory scale Expanded Granular Sludge Bed (EGSB) bioreactor at different HRT (3 to 9 days). The EGSB was evaluated in mesophilic condition (26 ± 2 °C) with an average pH of 7.5 ± 0.2 to determine the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency. According to the results, the COD removal efficiency increases from 94 to 98% when the HRT increase from 3 to 9 days; the α factor remained stable (0.98) throughout the evolution of the bioreactor. The HRT's between 7-9 days generated effluents capable to be dischargeable into water bodies with a permitted COD concentration according to World Health Organization (WHO) and Official Mexican Environmental Regulations permissible limits. Results evidenced that the HRT of 9 days was the one that greater COD removal generated, so the EGSB bioreactor can be a sustainable alternative to solve the environmental problems, compared to other conventional methods to CPWW treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this investigation was to determine the effect of vermicompost and phosphate rock on plant growth, total phenols, flavonoids, flavanones, and antioxidant activity in Annona purpurea Moc & Sesse ex Dunal leaves. Annona purpurea seedlings were planted according to factorial 32 experimental design with nine repetitions. The factors were vermicompost (0, 50, and 100 g plant−1) and phosphate rock (0 and 10 g plant−1). Plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, and chorophyll content were determined one month after application of the different treatments and total phenols, flavonols, flavanones, total flavonoids, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity in dry leaves after 4 months. Plant height and stem diameter increased by phosphate rock, but not by vermicompost. Total phenols in leaves decreased by vermicompost. Flavonol content decreased by rock phosphate, whereas flavanones increased by vermicompost. Antioxidant activity decreased by vermicompost addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worm-bed leachate is a nutrient-rich by-product of composting organic wastes with earthworms. Worm-bed leachate was stored and characterized while its possible antifungal activity towards the pathogenic fungusColletotrichum gloeosporioides(Penz.) Penz. and Sacc. was investigated in vitro. The pH decreased from 9.6 at the onset of the storage to 8.9 after 28 days, while the total N and C nearly halved. The surfactin concentration in the worm-bed leachate reached 10.8 μg L−1at day 10, while that of iturin A and iturin A homologues increased towards the end of the storage. Sterilized worm-bed leachate had little effect on the growth ofC. gloeosporioides, but unsterilized worm-bed leachate inhibited growth 100%. It was found that unsterilized worm-bed leachate inhibited growth ofC. gloeosporioides, but sterilizing the worm-bed leachate strongly reduced the inhibitory effect indicating that the microorganisms in the worm-bed leachate out-competed the fungus for nutrients or were antagonistic towards it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vitro antiviral effect of a crude methanol extract and six fractions isolated from Rhoeo discolor against pandemic influenza A (H1N1) was evaluated in this study. The phytochemical analysis to identify the main classes of secondary metabolites was performed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). The cytotoxic effect and cell viability was determined in MDCK cells, and the antiviral activity was evaluated by qRT-PCR to detect influenza virus nucleoprotein (NP) gene. Finally a metabolomic analysis was performed using UPLC-MS. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of coumarins, tannins, saponins and flavonoids in the methanol extracts. Cytotoxicity related to 50% cell viability indicated concentrations of <1µg/mL for the six fractions tested and >1µg/mL for the crude extracts. Fraction MF1 inhibited synthesis of viral NP at co-treatment level at a concentration of 0.30 ± 0.02 g/mL with a selectivity index (SI) of 30. The metabolomic analysis identified the presence of five flavonoids kaempferol, quercetin, isoquercetin luteolin-5-glucoside and rutin. Antiviral activity of flavonoids from R. discolor against the influenza A (H1N1) virus are reported for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]