The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus approach is increasingly being used for supporting a transition to sustainable development, with initiatives involving the concept of circular economy (CE). In the agricultural sector in particular, assessing this nexus is crucial to ensure food security, control the consumption of key resources such as water and energy, as well as measure atmospheric emissions linked to climate change. This manuscript aims to propose a novel approach by coupling the WEF nexus with a circularity indicator, seeking to capture in a single index (the WEF+CEi) both performances in a sample of companies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe food industry requires new production models that include more environmentally friendly waste management practices, considering that the environmental loads of solid waste and wastewater associated with this sector cause damage to the receiving ecosystems. The approach considered in this study focuses on the design and environmental assessment of an enzymatic process for the valorization of ferulic acid present in the effluent of a corn tortilla plant. The ferulic acid can be immobilized on chitosan so that the ferulic acid grafted chitosan can be used as a bioactive film with enhanced antioxidant properties with potential applications in the biotechnology sector.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating condition that affects more than 300 million people worldwide. Current treatments are based on a trial-and-error approach, and reliable biomarkers are needed for more informed and personalized treatment solutions. One of the potential biomarkers, gamma-frequency (30-80 Hz) brainwaves, are hypothesized to originate from the excitatory-inhibitory interaction between the pyramidal cells and interneurons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe the use of conventional histology and immunohistochemistry against canine distemper virus (CDV) to examine the brains of domestic dogs with a confirmed diagnosis of CDV infection. Histologically, to identify the main typical lesions, we used conventional H&E stain; to evaluate the progressive demyelination, we used Luxol Fast Blue stain; and to identify the presence of viral particles in these affected regions, we used immunohistochemistry against CDV. We confirm that the histopathological analysis of brains of distemper-infected dogs is a powerful tool to evaluate the typical brain lesions and could be used as an interesting natural model to continue studying the pathogenesis of canine distemper in different species and/or other morbillivirus infections, like measles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: The universal call to action for healthier and more sustainable dietary choices is the framework of the United Nations's Sustainable Development Goals. The Atlantic diet, originating from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, represents an example of a traditional diet that aligns with these principles.
Objective: To explore a 6-month intervention based on the Atlantic diet's effects on metabolic and environmental health, assessing metabolic syndrome (MetS) incidence and the carbon footprint.