Tomate (Solanum lycopersicum) production and bacterial canker management during COVID-19

<p>The tomato (<em>Solanum lycopersicum</em>) is part of the food basket of Mexicans and is the most consumed vegetable worldwide. Mexico is one of the main producer and exporter countries, the main market to export is the United States of America. The pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) seriously affected the economy and consequently the production and distribution of basic foods, including tomatoes. This work summarizes the experiences derived from the production, detection and phytosanitary management of <em>Clavibacter</em> <em>michiganensis</em> subsp. <em>michiganensis</em> during the July–December 2020 season in a tomato crop under macro tunnel located in Copándaro, Michoacán, Mexico. Agriculture, as an essential economic activity in the production of basic foods, must remain active as it is an unconfined productive process, with a low risk of contagion, and it’s a necessary activity for the economic support of agricultural workers.</p>

Algal Alginate in Biotechnology: Biosynthesis and Applications

Algae are recognized as the main producer of commercial alginate. Alginate produced using algae is located in the walls and intracellular regions of their cells. Its properties vary depending on the species, growing and harvesting seasons, and extraction methods. Alginate has attracted the attention of several industries, thanks to its unique properties such as its biodegradability, biocompatibility, renewability and lack of toxicity features. For example, it is considered a good encapsulation agent due to the transparent nature of the alginate matrices. Also, this biopolymer is recognized as a functional food in the food industry. It can be tolerated easily in human body and has the ability to reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Besides, it is used as an abrasive agent, antioxidant, and thickening and stabilizing agents in cosmetic and pharmaceutic industries. Generally, it is used in emulsion systems and wound dressing patches. Furthermore, this polysaccharide has the potential to be used in green nanotechnologies as a drug delivery vehicle via cell microencapsulation. Moreover, it is suitable to adopt as a coagulant due to its wide range of flocculation dose and high shear stability. In this chapter, the mentioned usage areas of algal alginate are explained in more detail.

The North of Western Siberia in the Socioeconomic Space of the USSR: Shifting Models of Nature Use

The north of Western Siberia is a region that in a historically short time went from a hub of territorial development, where it was only necessary to control the volume of extraction of certain resources, to a zone of extensive industrial development of vast territories with the need for comprehensive environmental protection. The models of embedding the north of Western Siberia into the socioeconomic space of the USSR were simultaneously based on the need to develop the region’s rich natural resources and to rationally use them. At their core was an industrial standard. In the 1930s–1950s, this industrial standard depended on the use of biological resources, where the main producer of material wealth was the Indigenous inhabitants of the north. Yet it failed. A need arose to rely on resources with a more powerfully transformative and modernizing potential. These resources became hydrocarbons. Beginning in the 1960s, the model of natural resource use in the north was reoriented towards the extraction of oil and gas. The favorable market conditions and large export potential of these resources made it possible to solve not only economic but also ideological tasks. The main producer of material goods became the migrant population, which had the necessary professional and social skills to translate the industrial standard into practice. The Indigenous peoples of the north found themselves on the sidelines of socioeconomic development. A stereotype took root in Soviet society and science that the main object of management and transformation should be nature, which can be modified unlimitedly and at any speed. At the same time, it is obvious that technological and socioeconomic mechanisms are more, not less, malleable than natural ones. A person in the “human-nature” system was considered utilitarianly, exclusively from an economic standpoint. All of this speaks to the need to better understand the historical experience of state environmental management in northern Siberia and the role of people in this process.

World scientific production on reading comprehension: biometric analysis of the period 2011-2020

The objective of the study is to characterize the world scientific production on reading comprehension in databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, Google Academic, PubMed, Microsoft Academic and Crosreff between the years 2011 to 2020. We worked with a universe made up of 6025 articles obtained. Bibliometric indicators were calculated through Publish or Perish v. 7.31, VOSwiever, pubreminer and the same analytical software from the chosen databases. The results indicate a total of 209952 citations, with an average of 20995; 39 and 12273 citations per year, citations per article and citations per author respectively. The study by Perfetti and Stafura, entitled Word Knowledge in a Theory of Reading Comprehension, stands out. The United States is the main producer of scientific evidence on reading comprehension and the type of scientific production that stands out the most are original articles. These results show that the production of scientific articles on reading comprehension is abundant and is experiencing growth that demonstrates the importance that world researchers give to this topic.

Rasio Jumlah Mikroplastik dan Plankton di Kawasan Perairan Teluk Benoa, Bali

Plastic waste will degrade in the water and will break down into small particles called microplastics. Microplastics have a shape similar to food sources for marine organisms such as plankton, where if these microplastics are accidentally ingested by marine organisms it will enter the food chain and end up in humans through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Plankton are divided into two types, namely phytoplankton as the main water producer and zooplankton as the second energy level that connects major producers with consumers at a higher level of food. This research was conducted to determine the type and ratio of the amount of microplastic and plankton as a source of food for marine organisms. This research was conducted in the waters of Benoa Bay, which is a semi-closed water area and has a variety of activities and there are also two large rivers that can contribute to pollution waste in the waters of Benoa Bay, this can lead to competition between the amount of plastic and plankton as the main producer in food chain. This research was conducted from February to July 2020 and sample analysis was carried out at the Marine Science Laboratory, Faculty of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, Udayana University. Sampling is done by pulling the trawl horizontally with a distance of 500 meters and a constant boat speed of 5 km/hour. The composition of the types of microplastics found were film, fragment, foam and fiber. The highest composition of phytoplankton comes from the Bacillariophyceae class, while the highest composition of zooplankton comes from the Malacostraca class. The average total abundance of microplastics is 1.69 particles/m3, while the average total abundance of plankton is 2851 Ind/m3 and a ratio of 1:1687. This result shows that until now the abundance of plankton is still much greater than the abundance of microplastics in the waters. However, considering the high amount of plastic use from household and tourism activities, it can also increase the inclusion of plastic waste that will enter the ocean.

Cloning and characterization of cobA, one of vitamin B12 biosynthesis pathway genes from Selenomonas ruminantium

Bacterial biosynthesis of vitamin B12 can occur via either aerobic or anaerobic route. While the aerobic pathway has been fully elucidated and understood, less is known about the anaerobic pathway. Selenomonas ruminantium is thought to be the main producer of this vitamin in rumen environment and must use the anaerobic pathway. In our work we found one of the genes of vitamin B12 biosynthetic pathway of S. ruminantium, encoding for the cobalamin adenosyltransferase, enzyme taking part at the last steps of the synthesis process. Deduced amino acid sequence showed the highest similarity to cobalamin adenosyltransferases of other ruminal anaerobic bacteria and that of species Selenomonas. Phylogenetic comparisons of CobA protein sequences of several anaerobic bacteria of Clostridiale order indicate possible horizontal transfer of this gene.

Physical Attributes of Ferralsol in Fertigated Sugarcane Production Environments for Bioethanol in the Midwest of Brazil

Brazil is the world leader in the production and export of sugarcane derivatives, and its center-south region is the main producer. Fertigation with byproducts from bioethanol production can be adopted as a strategy to mitigate the soil physical deterioration resulting from the intensification of mechanized farming practices. The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavior of soil physical attributes under sugarcane cultivation in different crop cycles in fertigated areas in the midwest region of Brazil. The samples were collected in different Ferralsol layers (0.0–0.1, 0.1–0.2, 0.2–0.3, and 0.4–0.5 m) and fertigated crop cycles (first, third, fifth, seventh, and twelfth sugarcane cycles), as well as from native Cerrado vegetation (reference area), and the weight and volume relationships of the soil constituents and total soil were evaluated. Soil physical attributes are affected by sugarcane cultivation cycles and fertigation with vinasse. In the short term (third cycle), the results indicate deterioration of the physical attributes of the soil. However, throughout the cycles of sugarcane culture via fertigation (twelve cycles), the addition of vinasse leads to improvements in physical attributes and soil aggregation, promoting an increase in the longevity of the sugarcane crop. Therefore, the evaluation of the physical attributes of the soil in areas with vinasse application in different sugarcane cultivation cycles should be analyzed in areas of different regions, as this management practice indicates a high potential to increase the longevity of cultivation sugarcane, reducing production costs in the bioenergy sector.

Cut-Off Lows and Extreme Precipitation in Eastern Spain: Current and Future Climate

This study presents a seasonal synoptic climatology of cut-off lows (COLs) that produced extreme precipitation in the Valencia region of Spain during 1998–2018 and uses simulations with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to study how extreme COL precipitation may change in a future warmer climate. COLs were shown to be the main producer of extreme precipitation in the Valencia region, especially during the transition seasons. The strongest raining COL events occurred during September–November. Six-day composites of thermodynamic and dynamic fields and precipitation show that COLs that produce extreme precipitation in this region remain stationary over Spain for 2–3 days and tend to produce precipitation over the Valencia region for at least two consecutive days. In the low levels these COLs are characterized by low pressure over the Mediterranean sea and winds with an easterly, onshore component thus fueling precipitation. Comparison of current and future climate ensembles of WRF simulations of 14 September–November extreme precipitation producing COL events suggest that in a warmer climate extreme COL precipitation may increase by as much as 88% in northeastern Spain and 61% in the adjoining Mediterranean Sea. These projected increases in extreme COL precipitation in the northeast of Spain present additional challenges to a region where COL flooding already has significant socio-economic impacts. Additionally, about half of the future climate COL event simulations showed increases in precipitation in the Valencian region of eastern Spain. These results provide important nuance to projections of a decreasing trend of total precipitation in the Iberian Peninsula as the climate warms.

New Isolated Metschnikowia pulcherrima Strains from Apples for Postharvest Biocontrol of Penicillium expansum and Patulin Accumulation

Wild yeasts isolated from the surface of apples were screened for antagonistic activity against Penicillium expansum, the main producer of the mycotoxin patulin. Three antagonistic yeasts (Y33, Y29 and Y24) from a total of 90 were found to inhibit P. expansum growth. Identification by ITS region sequence and characterization showed that three selected isolates of yeast should be different strains of Metschnikowia pulcherrima. Several concentrations of the selected yeasts were used to study their in vitro antifungal effectivity against P. expansum on Petri dishes (plates with 63.6 cm2 surface) whereas their potential activity on patulin reduction was studied in liquid medium. Finally, the BCA that had the best in vitro antifungal capacity against P. and the best patulin degradation capacity was selected to be assessed directly on apples. All the selected strains demonstrated antifungal activity in vitro but the most efficient was the strain Y29. Isolated strains were able to reduce patulin content in liquid medium, Y29 being the only strain that completely reduced patulin levels within 120 h. The application of Y29 as biocontrol agent on the surface of apples inoculated with P. expansum, inhibited fungal growth and patulin production during storage. Therefore, the results shown that this yeast strain could be used for the reduction of P. expansum and its mycotoxin in apples or apple-based products by adapting the procedure application.

POTENTIAL RISKS IN MODERN ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY

Knowledge of the safety profile of antibacterial drugs is important for rational pharmacotherapy with antibiotics. The purpose of this information is to help the doctor, pharmacist and patient to (quickly) "navigate" in the safety of antibiotics to implement one of the basic principles of pharmacotherapy "Do no harm!". The aim of the study. Analysis of possible potential risks in modern antibiotic therapy. Materials and methods. Analysis of data from the scientific literature on the side effects of antibiotics. Results. Most antibiotics have a wide spectrum of antimicrobial action, much less of them have a narrow spectrum of activity, but all of them have side effects (SE). In particular, the neurotoxicity of penicillins and fluoroquinolones is a consequence of their antagonism with GABA. The latter mechanism is also responsible for the neurotoxicity of carbapenens, monobactams and cephalosporins. Cardiotoxicity and hematotoxicity of benzylpenicillins are the result of inhibition of tissue respiration and the process of converting fibrinogen to fibrin, which causes bleeding. The hematotoxicity of carbopenicillins, monobactams and cephalosporins is associated with the inhibition of the conversion of vicasol (vit. K) into its active form, as well as the obstruction of its synthesis due to the suppression of normal intestinal microflora (the main producer of endogenous vit. K). The nephrotoxicity of aminoglycosides and vancomycin is associated with the accumulation of these drugs in the cells of the proximal renal tubules and impaired enzyme activity (Na+-, K+-, ATP; respiratory, etc.), which leads to interstitial nephritis. Ototoxicity of antibiotics is observed when they are used over the age of 60 – a factor that predisposes to ototoxicity. Conclusions. In order to conduct effective antibiotic therapy, it is very important to take into account the side effects that are characteristic of certain groups of antibiotics and each is representatively individual.