A method to refine crude cottonseed oil using non-toxic polyamine-based cationic polymers

The traditional method to refine crude cottonseed oil is time-consuming and expensive.This study evaluates the effectiveness of coagulation–flocculation–sedimentation process using quaternary polyamine-based polymers in refining crude cottonseed oil.Flocculated by four commercial polyamine-based cationic polymers(SL2700,SL3000,SL4500 and SL5000)with varied molecular weight(MW)and charge density(CD)and followed by coagulation with sodium hydroxide,crude cottonseed oil can be effectively purified.Free fatty acids,gossypol,pigments and trace elements are all effectively and sufficiently removed by the four polymers in a MW-and CDdependent manner.Our results suggest that the use of polyamine-based cationic polymers may offer an effective and feasible alternative to the traditional method for crude cottonseed oil refining.

Chia Seeds （Salvia hispanica L） Wild Plant Rich in Nutrients

Chia seeds played an important role in different ethnic group＇s diet at pre-Hispanic times. Later, it was domesticated due to high demand by the population and nowadays it＇s cultivated in several states of Mexico. However, seeds are not part of the Mexican average diet. The aim of this research was to asses Chia seed＇s macronutrients and promote consumption among population to decrease malnutrition. Chia seeds were collected at Puebla State （2015） and analyzed according to AOAC [1] methods. Data obtained （g/100 g dry basis） were： proteins 18.51%; lipids 31.33%; minerals 4.45%; fiber 24.45%; soluble carbohydrates 21.38%. Chia seeds absorb water about ten times its weight, is gluten free and contain a good amount of proteins, indispensable for human life In addition, Chia seeds have a balanced amount of polyunsaturated essential lipids, which are important for brain function, minerals, fiber and soluble carbohydrates. Chia seeds are available all year and are well accepted by all social groups, therefore it could be a good option to improve human health.

Gap Filling of Net Ecosystem CO₂Exchange (NEE) above Rain-Fed Maize Using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs)

The eddy covariance technique is an accurate and direct tool to measure the Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide. However, sometimes conditions are not amenable to measurements using this technique. Thus, different methods have been developed to allow gap-filling and quality assessment of eddy covariance data sets. In this study first, two different Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) approaches, the Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP) trained by the Back-Propagation (BP) algorithm, and the Radial Basis Function (RBF), were used to fill missing NEE data measured above rain-fed maize at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead, Nebraska. The gap-filled data were then compared by different statistical indices to gap-filled data obtained with the technique suggested by Suyker and Verma in 2005 [S&V method], and the ANN approach presented by Papale in 2003. The results showed that the RBF network was able to find better fits for missing values compared to the MLP (BP) network and S&V method. In addition, unlike the S&V method, which depends on different gap-filling procedures over the year;the structure of RBF and MLP (BP) networks was constant. However, data analysis indicated Papale’s approach gave better fits than the RBF and MLP (BP) methods. Thus, based on this work, Papale’s approach is the best method to estimate the missing data;though the applied statistical indices, which were used for model evaluation, show little difference between Papale’s approach and the RBF and MLP (BP).

Water Use and Growth in Three Populations of Red Cedar （Cedrela odorata L.） and Associated Crops in Mexico

The association between the growth and water-use efficiency in three populations of C. odorata in Veracruz Mexico （La Antigua, Misantla and Catemaco） from two agroforestry system sites was studied, one in association with corn and another with pipiain. TRP （transpiration）, gs （stomatal conductivity）, CO2A （CO2 assimilation）, WUE （water use efficiency）, height, coverage and stem diameter were measured. The populafon of La Antigua associated with pipian presented the highest WUE （7.13 μmol CO2 m2-sl/mmol H20 m2.sl）, while the population of Catemaco reached high values （10 μmol CO2 m2 sl/mmol H20 m2-s1） in the site associated with corn, the populations established with corn presented a great growth in height and stem diameter. Based on the physiological responses and growth of the studied populations, the towns of La Antigua and Catemaco may be recommended for the establishment of commercial plantations.

Apple fruit size estimation using a 3D machine vision system

Estimation of fruit size in tree fruit crops is essential for selective robotic harvesting and crop-load estimation.Machine vision systems for fruit detection and localization have been studied widely for robotic harvesting and crop-load estimation.However,only a few studies have been carried out to estimate fruit size in orchards using machine vision systems.This study was carried out to develop a machine vision system consisting of a color CCD camera and a time-of-flight(TOF)light-based 3D camera for estimating apple size in tree canopies.As a measure of fruit size,the major axis(longest axis)was estimated based on(i)the 3D coordinates of pixels on corresponding apple surfaces,and(ii)the 2D size of individual pixels within apple surfaces.In the 3D coordinates-based method,the distance between pairs of pixels within apple regions were calculated using 3D coordinates,and the maximum distance between all pixel pairs within an apple region was estimated to be the major axis.The accuracy of estimating the major axis using 3D coordinates was 69.1%.In the pixel-size-based method,the physical sizes of pixels were estimated using a calibration model developed based on pixel coordinates and the distance to pixels from the camera.The major axis length was then estimated by summing the size of individual pixels along the major axis of the fruit.The accuracy of size estimation increased to 84.8%when the pixel size-based method was used.The results showed the potential for estimating fruit size in outdoor environments using a 3D machine vision system.

Predicting Protein Subcellular Localization: Past, Present, and Future

Functional characterization of every single protein is a major challenge of the post-genomic era. The large-scale analysis of a cell's proteins, proteomics, seeks to provide these proteins with reliable annotations regarding their interaction partners and functions in the cellular machinery. An important step on this way is to determine the subcellular localization of each protein. Eukaryotic cells are divided into subcellular compartments, or organelles. Transport across the membrane into the organelles is a highly regulated and complex cellular process. Predicting the subcellular localization by computational means has been an area of vivid activity during recent years. The publicly available prediction methods differ mainly in four aspects: the underlying biological motivation, the computational method used, localization coverage, and reliability, which are of importance to the user. This review provides a short description of the main events in the protein sorting process and an overview of the most commonly used methods in this field.

Storytelling and environmental information: connecting schoolchildren and herpetofauna in Morocco

Northwestern Morocco is undergoing a sudden change in the level of infrastructure growth and pressure on the environment from increased tourism.The ongoing changes are raising questions about how the ecosystem will react,and the relevant drivers of these changes.The Oued Laou valley in north-west Morocco hosts high landscape,species and human cultural diversity.The Talassemtane National Park has been established to preserve the envi-ronment in this region;however,what information tools are available to children regarding this environment?The ecosystem is illustrated here using three components:herpetofauna(representing ecosystem components),prob-lems related to water quantity and quality(representing interactions within ecosystem components)and Talassemtane National Park(representing a case of ecosystem management).A children’s book was written on this topic,and when the book was delivered to pupils,a questionnaire was included,aimed at determining their sources of environ-mental information.The results identified major changes in the sources of information utilized by children in this part of Morocco,a clear role of schools in explaining ecosystem components,and an increasing role of TV in environmental information supply.The role of the family was found to be less important than TV or school.Another major source of pupils’environmental knowledge is personal observation and hands-on experience,both for rural and urban children.Children are willing to discover and understand complex systems,and researchers should be encouraged to supply children with correct and up-to-date information on environmental systems,focusing at first on the local environment,as a background for sustainable development.

Protein engineering of oxidoreductases utilizing nicotinamide-based coenzymes,with applications in synthetic biology

Two natural nicotinamide-based coenzymes(NAD and NADP)are indispensably required by the vast majority of oxidoreductases for catabolism and anabolism,respectively.Most NAD(P)-dependent oxidoreductases prefer one coenzyme as an electron acceptor or donor to the other depending on their different metabolic roles.This coenzyme preference associated with coenzyme imbalance presents some challenges for the construction of high-efficiency in vivo and in vitro synthetic biology pathways.Changing the coenzyme preference of NAD(P)-dependent oxidoreductases is an important area of protein engineering,which is closely related to product-oriented synthetic biology projects.This review focuses on the methodology of nicotinamide-based coenzyme engineering,with its application in improving product yields and decreasing production costs.Biomimetic nicotinamide-containing coenzymes have been proposed to replace natural coenzymes because they are more stable and less costly than natural coenzymes.Recent advances in the switching of coenzyme preference from natural to biomimetic coenzymes are also covered in this review.Engineering coenzyme preferences from natural to biomimetic coenzymes has become an important direction for coenzyme engineering,especially for in vitro synthetic pathways and in vivo bioorthogonal redox pathways.