Insecticidal and repellency activity of essential oil of Eucalyptus sp. against Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera, Curculionidae)

BACKGROUND: The objective of this work was to evaluate the insecticidal and repellent effect of essential oils of Eucalyptus dunnii, E. saligna, E. benthamii, E. globulus and E. viminalis in the control of Sitophilus zeamais in maize grains. RESULTS: The essential oils chemical composition showed that the E. benthamii presents the cis‐ocimene (56.88%) as major compound. Results permitted us to verify that the evaluated species presented different insecticidal action under Sitophilus zeamais. About 100% of mortality was achieved with doses of 65, 100 and 400 µL for E. dunnii, E. saligna and E. benthamii, respectively. After regression analysis the LD₅₀ values were calculated and E. dunnii was shown to be the most efficient (25.03 µL), followed by E. saligna (37.93 µL) and E. benthamii (121.09 µL). Using the previously calculated LD₅₀ values, the repellency activity was calculated, allowing us to conclude that all species presented significant values in terms of this important parameter. CONCLUSION: The essential oil of Eucalyptus sp. presented insecticidal and repellency against Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera, Curculionidae). Although from an economic point of view synthetic chemicals are still more frequently used as repellents, natural products (essential oils) have the potential to provide efficient and safer repellents for humans and the environment. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Thermoplastic starch/whey protein isolate/rosemary essential oil nanocomposites obtained by extrusion process: Antioxidant polymers

Active substances are added to polymers to act as a barrier to external elements, protecting the product. This article evaluated the effect of the addition of sodium montmorillonite (MMT) nanoparticles and the antioxidant activity of rosemary essential oil (EO) in thermoplastic starch/whey protein isolate (TPS/WPI) nanocomposites obtained by extrusion. X-ray diffractograms showed dispersion/exfoliation of the MMT in the TPS/WPI matrix. The nanocomposites presented rough surface with the presence of porosity as shown by scanning electron microscopy images. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the combination between MMT and rosemary EO increased thermal stability of nanocomposites. The addition of rosemary EO became the films less rigid, weaker and had an antioxidant effect as shown by mechanical properties and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. The optical properties showed in opaque greenish yellow nanocomposites. Therefore, the addition of rosemary EO in nanocomposites showed an alternative for use as antioxidant polymers in packaging material. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47619.     

The C-C chemokine receptor CCR3 participates in stimulation of eosinophil arrest on inflammatory endothelium in shear flow

Chemokines are widely hypothesized to stimulate firm adhesion of leukocytes on endothelium in shear flow. Thus far, this has been demonstrated experimentally for exogenously added chemoattractants, but not for those released by endothelium. We found that human umbilical cord endothelial cells (HUVEC) stimulated with TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma secreted eosinophil chemoattractants into the culture supernatant. This material induced transendothelial chemotaxis, stimulated eosinophil binding to purified intercellular adhesion molecule 1, and augmented binding to purified vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 in a 3-min static assay. Chemotaxis and stimulation of adhesion were abrogated completely by the pretreatment of eosinophils with an mAb to the C-C chemokine receptor 3 (CCR3). Eosinophils accumulated efficiently on HUVEC stimulated with TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma in shear flow at 1.5 dyn/cm2. CCR3 mAb slightly but significantly reduced eosinophil arrest and accumulation, by preventing development of firm adhesion by some of the tethered eosinophils, so that they detached within 30 s after the initial tethering. In the presence of mAb to the alpha4 integrin subunit, the effect of CCR3 mAb was more prominent, and approximately half of eosinophil arrest and accumulation was abolished. Inhibition by CCR3 mAb in the presence of beta2 integrin mAb was similar to that in control eosinophils. This is the first evidence that endothelial cell-derived chemokines can activate firm adhesion through alpha4 and beta2 integrins even in the presence of shear flow.     

Impact of Operating Conditions on Decomposition of Antibiotics During Ozonation: A Review

Recent studies have identified antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals in wastewater and surface water in many countries. The presence of low level antibiotics in the environment has raised concerns regarding potential selection of resistant bacterial strains that would render ineffective the use of some antibiotics in clinical practice. Recent reviews indicate the potential of ozonation and advanced oxidation processes in degrading pharmaceuticals in various types of water. However, no focus has been put on the impact of the operating conditions on the ozonation of these pharmaceuticals. This paper reviews the recent progress of ozonation of aqueous antibiotics in order to identify the influence of the operating conditions such as pH, temperature, use of hydrogen peroxide, ozone dosage, reactor setup and wastewater characteristics on the degradation of antibiotics.     

Carbon markets and low-carbon investment in emerging economies: A synthesis of parallel workshops in Brazil and India

While policy experiments targeted at energy and innovation transitions have not been deployed consistently across all countries, market mechanisms such as carbon pricing have been tested over the past decade in disparate development contexts, and therefore provide some opportunities for analysis. This brief communication reports on two parallel workshops recently held in Sao Paulo, Brazil and New Delhi, India to address questions of how well these carbon pricing policies have worked in affecting corporate decisions to invest in low-carbon technology. Convening practitioners and scholars from multiple countries, the workshops elicited participants' perspectives on business investment decisions under international carbon markets in emerging economies across multiple energy-intensive sectors. We review the resulting perspectives on low-carbon policies and present guidance on a research agenda that could clarify how international and national policies could help encourage both energy transitions and energy innovations in emerging economies.     

Development, Stability, and Sensory Testing of Microcapsules Containing Iron, Iodine, and Vitamin A for Use in Food Fortification

Iodine, vitamin A, and iron deficiencies are important public health problems in developing countries and often coexist in vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women and young children. Food fortification can be a sustainable, cost‐effective strategy to combat these deficiencies. In remote, rural areas of subsistence farming, salt may be 1 of few regularly purchased food items and is therefore likely to be a good food vehicle for fortification. However, fortification of salt is challenging due to the white color and highly reactive impurities, and added micronutrients often cause color changes. Encapsulation may prevent or reduce these reactions. Potassium io‐date, retinyl palmitate, and ferric pyrophosphate were microencapsulated in hydrogenated palm fat by spray cooling. The size and morphology of the sprayed microparticles and losses of iodine and vitamin A during spraying were analyzed. The microcapsules were added to local salt in Morocco. During storage for 6 mo, color change in the triple fortified salt (TFS) was acceptable, and iodine losses were approximately 20% comparable to the iodized salt (IS). Stability of retinyl palmitate was excellent, resulting in losses of only about 12% after 6 mo of storage. Sensory tests were performed with typical Moroccan dishes cooked with either TFS or IS by triangle testing. No sensory difference was detectable, and overall acceptability of the salt was good. Encapsulation by spray cooling produces highly stable microcapsules containing iodine, vitamin A, and iron for salt fortification in Africa. Such capsules may also be used to fortify other dry matrices (for example, sugar, flour).     

Extending project management research: Insights from social theories

Our article answers the call for renewing the theoretical bases of project management in order to overcome the problems that stem from the application of methods based on decision-rationality norms, which bracket the complexity of action and interactions in projects. By grounding our reflection in the practice perspective and by adopting Nicolini's (2013) toolkit approach, we suggest ways that could help practitioners and theorists make better sense of aspects that are highly relevant for project management but are usually overlooked. The paper discusses Nicolini's five dimensions of practice and three social theories (activity theory, actor–network theory and structuration theory) to highlight the combinations that are most appropriate and fruitful for addressing various theoretical and practical issues requiring the attention of project management researchers.     

Underground networking: the potential for improving yield and quality of pot-grown herbs with mycorrhizas

With constant pressure on herb growers to perform to a continuous high standard, finding new ways to improve herb quality and or quantity are gaining importance, with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) presenting one possible solution. Viviane Schroeder, Alan Gange and Anthony Stead discuss the introduction of AMF to the herb growth cycle and discuss the benefits and costs that their symbiosis with plants bring to modern agriculture.     

A MATRIX APPROACH FOR OPTIMIZATION OF PIPE NETWORKS IN COOLING WATER SYSTEMS

This article addresses the design problems associated with pipe networks in cooling water systems. The objective is to determine the lowest cost network that can supply the heat exchangers with cooling water at the flow rates previously established in the thermal design. The solution to the problem provides the diameter for each section of pipe in the network together with the corresponding pump alternative. The objective function and constraints are organized in a matrix formulation where the solution consists of a set of linear programming problems. The basic structure of the optimal design problem also extends to the solution for revamp problems. The comparison of the proposed approach to the traditional solution based on economical velocities indicates that the optimization scheme can make pipe network designs less expensive and more reliable for supplying cooling water.     

Perceived bridging and bonding social capital on Twitter: Differentiating between followers and followees

The present study investigates the influence of Twitter use and the number of followers and followees on perceived bridging and bonding online social capital. Data from a convenience sample of Twitter users (N = 264) indicate that bonding social capital is associated with the number of followers whereas bridging social capital is influenced by the number of followees. Thus, the directed friendship model on Twitter affects different forms of social capital differently. In addition, the study found a negative curvilinear effect of the number of followees on bridging and the number of followers on bonding online social capital. This indicates that the number of followees/followers has positive effects on online bridging/bonding social capital, but only to a certain point. The paper concludes with a discussion of the results in light of theoretical considerations and of implications for future research on the effects of Twitter on social capital.